


cause I already know your heart

by youwereamazing



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Matchmaking, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Swearing, based on jane austen's emma, boogyu besties, cheols fave way to pass time is annoying mingyu, kihyun cameo! just wanted to mention it bc i love that man, mentions of alcohol and drinking, mingyu is a huge fucking idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 46,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28634571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youwereamazing/pseuds/youwereamazing
Summary: (“So now it’s just the two of them! Like a date, “ Mingyu whispers to Seungcheol, leaning closer to him.Seungcheol laughs and wiggles his finger between them. “So you and me sitting here is also like a date?”“Don’t be stupid, “ Mingyu scoffs.)mingyu thinks he has some sort of talent for matchmaking. seungcheol thinks mingyu’s an idiot.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Kim Mingyu, lots of side ships!
Comments: 22
Kudos: 76
Collections: Seventeen Rare Pair Fest: 2 Rare 2 Pair





	cause I already know your heart

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SVTRarePairFest2](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SVTRarePairFest2) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>    
> emma au: kim mingyu, handsome, clever, rich, and all up in everyone else's business. clearly he doesn't know a damn thing about matchmaking and seungcheol is only too happy to remind him of this. 
> 
> never read or seen emma when I found this prompt but it somehow spoke to me so I ordered the book and claimed the prompt and here we are! if you know austen’s emma, you’ll notice that the plot + characters partly line up but I also made a lot of changes. really wanna thank the prompter bc I had so much fun with it all, I hope its somewhat what you imagined! 
> 
> also wanna take a second to thank my best friend who was there for me every step of the way. I’m so thankful for all your help and feedback and encouragements and for making all the decisions my indecisive ass couldn’t make on my own. I love u. and ofc also thanks to all my other friends who encouraged me along the way and helped me figure out the stuff I was struggling with or just hyped me up, you all gave me the energy to finish this. 
> 
> big thank you to the mods for organizing this whole thing and all their hard work!! 
> 
> I recommend [ this emma playlist ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xfgl4Wx3gMWnDlo6yzf1h?si=5gf3FTjfRl6KZXyN5TvO7A) to listen to as a soundtrack! its not mine but I listened to it while writing and I think it’s perfect. 
> 
> hope you enjoy! <3
> 
> (title taken from the song magic by gabrielle aplin)

**_jeonghan & soonyoung_ **

Kim Mingyu is the universe’s favourite, one lucky bastard when it comes to the lottery of life. He is blessed with a handsome face, a quick wit and a wealthy family. There has never been much to complain about for him: His parents support him both financially and emotionally, cheering him on as he works towards becoming an artist. He goes to a prestigious university and despite the pressure and stress, he’s in love with the environment it provides for him to improve and grow. At his young age of 23, he already owns his own apartment (sponsored by his father), and a really nice one at that. In all its size and space, it’s way too big for just Mingyu, so two of his best friends moved in with him right after they all graduated high school.

Living together with two musical theatre majors that have the drama running through their veins might not have been his most thought-through idea but he has never regretted it for even a moment. There’s Boo Seungkwan, Mingyu’s best friend since childhood, being the son of a business partner of his father. In all their 15 years of friendship, there has not been one dull and rarely a quiet moment with him. He is prone to randomly break out into songs or start practicing at ungodly hours and it’s not like he contributes a lot to the household chores but Mingyu loves him to death. 

Then there’s Yoon Jeonghan who has only joined their little friend group in high school. Despite being three years older, he befriended Seungkwan in the school choir and quickly got sucked into their circle. After high school, they all got into Highbury University of Arts, HUA. Jeonghan’s family is far from being as filthy rich as Mingyu’s or even Seungkwan’s, so he needs to rely on a sponsored scholarship to afford tuition. It’s one of the reasons Mingyu doesn’t charge his roommates any rent and pays for all the bills. He has the money and even though Seungkwan does too, he doesn’t want to make Jeonghan feel like the odd one out or bad for not being able to contribute as much as Seungkwan. 

Living with Jeonghan hasn’t always been easy for Mingyu. There have been quite a few challenges and arguments, despite all their efforts to look over their differences and flaws. They have learned to get along over the years, making compromises and finding a middle ground. Unlike Seungkwan, Jeonghan’s dramatic antics are usually a bit more subtle. He’s incredibly smart, extremely persuasive and as good at lying off stage as he is at acting on stage. It’s a dangerous mix sometimes, something to beware during games and bets, never actually harmful though as Jeonghan is not secretly one of the sweetest people Mingyu knows, always looking out for all of them.

Their friends have commented that the three of them are an odd combination of roommates but Mingyu wouldn’t trade it for anything else (except maybe roommates who actually help with the chores). Their apartment is a lively, warm space, always buzzing with visitors, always filled with the sound of music, laughter or screaming. It’s _home._

Today, the apartment feels cold and empty.

Seungkwan stares at the few left moving boxes in the otherwise bare room, a hint of tears glistening in his eyes. “It’s going to be so lonely without him.”

“Am I not enough company for you?” Mingyu jokes, even though he understands the feeling. Standing in the vast room right now, a room that was filled with pictures all over the walls and clothes all over the floor just a week ago makes him sad too. Now, there’s nothing left but memories lingering in the air and the pile of moving boxes that have yet to be picked up.

For his comment, Seungkwan spares him nothing more than a quick glance before going on in his rant about how left behind and betrayed he feels. “What if I get hungry at night? Who’s going to walk to the convenience store and eat a midnight snack with me? Do you think he even considered that when he decided to leave?”

Mingyu does not think Jeonghan considered Seungkwan’s midnight snacks in his decision. Even if he did, it’s not like it would have mattered much. Because Jeonghan’s in love, head over heels in love, the kind of love that is so intense that it makes even the smartest people act like fools, the kind of love that makes hearts pop up in his eyes, the kind of love that inspires and motivates. It’s not like Mingyu has ever experienced that kind of love – or any kind of romantic feelings, that is – but he has seen it happen in romcoms and now he has seen it grow and bloom in Jeonghan’s eyes.

“He’s choosing hot and kinky sex every night over our occasional midnight snacks.“ Seungkwan makes a disgusted expression. “He’s choosing some guy he barely knows over his friends since high school!”

Calling Kwon Soonyoung “some guy he barely knows” is an entirely incorrect statement. Soonyoung was introduced to their friend group by Jun, both of them being dance majors. It’s only taken about half a year for Jeonghan and Soonyoung to start dating and now, another few months later, they decided to move in together - much to Seungkwan’s displeasure. In Mingyu’s opinion, Soonyoung is entirely worthy of Jeonghan’s affection, as worthy as any human creature could be. He’s bright, funny, a good socializer and fun company. Everyone at HUA absolutely adores him for his talents as a dancer and choreographer, his personality and his looks. Most of all, he makes Jeonghan happy. In the end, that’s all that really matters to Mingyu.

He says as much to Seungkwan, reminding him that he actually really likes Soonyoung. They share a similar sense of humour and can keep up with each other’s energy. And yeah, there’s the frequent moments where Soonyoung pushes just the right buttons to piss off Seungkwan and Seungkwan has to garner all his self-control to not use physical violence against him, but that’s what keeps the dynamics in their friend group interesting, isn’t it? “He’s a good guy and good for Jeonghan, “ Mingyu concludes.

Seungkwan lets out a sigh, sitting down on the floor and leaning his back carefully against a box. “I know, I know. But don’t you think they are moving too fast? Next thing we know, they are going to get married and adopt five children.”

In his head, Mingyu is already picturing the wedding. He’s pretty sure it will happen one day, a few years from now but not too far in the future. And he’s pretty sure that Seungkwan is going to be the person crying the most, besides Soonyoung himself maybe. That’s not something Seungkwan wants to hear right now, though. “Well, they are already acting like newlyweds, so what’s going to be the difference?”

“Everything is going to be different! Things are changing already. First, he skipped our weekly dinners together for their date nights, then he started to sleep over at Soonyoung’s place more often than not and now he is only going to come by for, I don’t know, one dinner every other month until he will even stop doing that.” Seungkwan’s voice grows louder as he goes on. “We are losing him, Mingyu. We are losing him.”

Mingyu lets himself fall to the ground next to him, putting a hand on Seungkwan’s knee. “We are not losing him. He literally lives ten minutes from here, you can visit him any time and I’m sure he’ll visit us as often as he can. Seungcheol doesn’t live with us either but he still comes by all the time.”

“Seungcheol lives alone and is single, though, “ Seungkwan argues, tilting his head a bit and adding: “I hope it stays that way. And his apartment is literally in the building next to ours, he’s practically our neighbour.”

Choi Seungcheol is another one of their long-term friends. Son of the CEO of a hugely successful entertainment company, he met Seungkwan and Mingyu in their early teens at some fancy banquet or party, Mingyu can’t really remember the occasion. He graduated HUA last year, now working at his mother’s company. Somewhere in between his busy schedule, he still finds time to bother Mingyu, Seungkwan and Jeonghan in their apartment several times a week. Or well, it’s only going to be Mingyu and Seungkwan from now on.

There is no way Seungcheol is going to stay single forever. He’s definitely boyfriend material, he’s easy-going and playful but earnest and insightful when need be. Plus, he’s probably one of the most handsome people Mingyu has ever seen and with the level of good looks in their circle of acquaintances and the image that greets him in the mirror every day, that’s definitely saying something. “You know, just because someone is in a relationship doesn’t mean they drop their friends. Seungcheol loves us too much to let a partner come between our bond.” At least, that’s what Mingyu hopes. He can’t really imagine a life without Seungcheol’s constant presence in it.

Seungkwan wants to say something, opening his mouth already, but he stops when he hears the sound of the apartment door being opened. They both share a look, immediately knowing who it is. Seungcheol has a talent for showing up right when people are talking about him.

Just as expected, he walks through the door still dressed in a suit, having come to their apartment straight from work. “Did I miss all the moving chaos?” he asks when he sees Seungkwan and Mingyu sprawled out on the floor.

“We’re actually just waiting for Jeonghan to come back with the car, “ Mingyu explains, hitting the box behind him lightly with his hand. “He still needs to pick up the last boxes.”

Seungcheol nods. He takes off his blazer and then loosens his tie before he sits down on the floor opposite of them. “Sorry I couldn’t really be of help.”

Mingyu waves him off. “We managed on our own.” Jeonghan doesn’t own too many things which made the move a pretty easy task. All Seungkwan and Mingyu could help with was carrying the boxes down to the car. Over at Soonyoung’s apartment, Joshua is there to help them carry the boxes up again.

“What are you going to do with this room now?” Seungcheol questions, looking at the white walls and the space that used to be occupied by Jeonghan’s bed. “Are you going to look for another roommate?”

Seungkwan and Mingyu haven’t really talked about that yet, so Mingyu just shrugs. “We’ll see. Maybe Seokmin wants to finally move out of the dorm, it’s about time.” He looks at Seungkwan out of the corner of his eyes, trying to catch his reaction to the idea. It’s a fair deal, he thinks – exchanging a musical theatre major with another musical theatre major, just that Seokmin is infinitely louder than Jeonghan and the kind of hard-working perfectionist that practices anywhere at any time. On the upside, he’s a pretty decent cook. 

“Seokmin?” Seungkwan crooks his head a bit, considering the suggestion. “Do you think he’ll get midnight snacks with me?”

Mingyu laughs and pats his friend’s head in comfort. “I’m sure he will.” After all, Seokmin has the kindest heart and is also definitely the type to get hungry late at night.

Seungcheol looks at them in confusion, tilting his head to the side. “Midnight snacks?”

That sets off a new rant from Seungkwan about Jeonghan’s betrayal. “He is throwing all our friendship away for his fast paced romance! Don’t you think he’s making a mistake, moving this all along way too quickly?”

Seungcheol shakes his head. “Jeonghan knows what he’s doing. He really loves Soonyoung, you know. And Soonyoung adores Jeonghan, he always has, ever since they met. They were made for each other.”

“Exactly what I think too, “ Mingyu agrees. “Obviously, seeing as I kind of had my hand in getting them together.”

Seungkwan frowns at him. “How the fuck did you have any influence on their relationship?”

There’s pride swelling in his chest as Mingyu thinks about how early he realized that Jeonghan and Soonyoung were perfect together. Right after they first got to know each other, Mingyu caught on to their chemistry. “You know, I saw the potential between them before anyone else did.”

Seungcheol starts laughing at that. “That’s more of a lucky guess than anything else.”

“It’s not! It takes skills to read people so well that you can see a match that quickly, “ Mingyu defends himself. “Honestly, now that Jeonghan and Soonyoung are such a success, I think I should take it on myself to help some of our other friends.” This idea has struck him some time ago and he is convinced that with his newly found matchmaking talent, he can make some people very happy. It’d be a waste not to make use of it, wouldn’t it?

“Don’t! I don’t want to lose more of our friends to romance, “ Seungkwan says. “They are all going to move away and marry and get a family and all that’s going to be left is you and me in this apartment that’s way too big for us two.”

“You’re not going to get rid of me, either. “ Seungcheol casts them a bright smile that Mingyu can’t help but return just as brightly. “But back to the topic. I really don’t think you have any skills when it comes to matchmaking. Sure, you sensed the attraction between Jeonghan and Soonyoung but it’s not like you actually had any influence on them. It’s not really your success in any way.”

Mingyu scoffs. “You weren’t there for all of it! I spent a lot of time with them two and my matchmaking might have been subtle, but it was definitely effective.”

“It was so subtle that it didn’t even exist, “ Seungcheol fires back. “Seriously, I don’t think you should take this as a motivation to meddle in other people’s business.”

His words only fuel Mingyu’s desire to give matchmaking another try. With his talent of spotting a good match and his people skills, what could possibly go wrong? There’s nothing to lose, only happiness and love to gain. “I have already made up my mind. I’m gonna find a partner for Jihoon and you can’t stop me.”

“Jihoon?” Seungcheol perks up at the mention of his name. “Our Jihoon?”

Seungkwan makes a disapproving noise. “Jihoon’s a busy man. Do you really think he has time for dating? If he starts going on dates, he might stop hanging out with us.”

Jihoon is a music production major at HUA, arguably the most talented one. Producing is his passion and he spends day and night in the studio working, to an extent that it worries Mingyu. Sure, he often enough comes around to hang out with them but Mingyu thinks another distraction from his stress would do him good. Plus, with all the love songs he writes, there must lie a true romantic in Jihoon. “He deserves to be happy and I think a suitable partner would be a good way to make him a bit happier.”

“I don’t really think it’s up to you to decide what will make him happier, “ Seungcheol argues. “I think Jihoon wouldn’t want you to get involved in his love life.”

Mingyu shrugs. “It’s not like I’m going to force him to do anything. I’m just going to introduce him to someone I think might be a good match for him.” He really sees no harm in his idea or his planned execution of it.

“I hope you fail, “ Seungkwan tells him honestly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but I’m sure I agree, “ Jeonghan says, standing in the doorway of the room. He’s still wearing his jacket, along with a shit-eating grin on his face. Just his presence makes the room feel less empty again. “Unless it’s about carrying down these boxes to my car because in that case, I really hope you don’t fail.”

As they get to work, Mingyu’s matchmaking plans are momentarily forgotten. Once they have safely transferred all the boxes into Jeonghan’s car, he asks all three of them to come over to celebrate the move with dinner in the form of take out from their collective favourite restaurant. Of course, calling it a ‘celebration’ in front of Seungkwan is the entirely wrong thing to say but much to Mingyu’s surprise, he just makes a face but keeps quiet about it until much later that night, when it’s just Mingyu and him cuddled up in Jeonghan’s empty room in the dark.

So, they find themselves gathered around the boxes that are scattered all over Soonyoung’s apartment and are now being used as tables for the mountains of takeout they’ve picked up on their way here. “Thanks for your help with the moving, “ Soonyoung says after he’s greeted them all warmly. “We really appreciate it.”

“We were happy to help, “ Mingyu says and nods at the takeout. “Plus, you paid for the food so it was definitely worth it.”

It’s a chill evening. Luckily, they don’t talk about the move for long because Mingyu can see Seungkwan’s face growing darker and darker the longer they discuss it. Instead, they start gossiping about the people they know. Soonyoung tells them that his long distance friend Minghao is thinking about coming to Seoul in a few weeks, something they have all been anticipating for years.

They linger on the topic of Minghao for a while before moving on to the second person that very often comes up in their group conversations: Lee Chan. He’s a dance major like Soonyoung and Jun and lots of Mingyu’s friends are close with him. The only reason he isn’t actually part of their group is that Seungkwan and Jihoon have a somewhat irrational dislike towards the guy.

Still, Jeonghan and Soonyoung absolutely adore him and it’s no surprise when they bring him up and start sharing stories about him. It’s no surprise either that Seungkwan gets annoyed by it and just like it always does, it ends in a fight between him and the older guys.

Seungcheol uses the fight as an opening to corner Mingyu about his matchmaking plans again. “So, who do you want to set Jihoon up with?” he asks, leaning closer so they can have a somewhat private conversation. Not that the other three are paying any attention to them, they are too caught up in their 100th discussion about Chan.

Mingyu tilts his head. There’s a few people on his mind that he thinks might be suitable candidates for Jihoon. “I have some ideas but I’m not set on anyone, “ he says.

“Tell me, “ Seungcheol demands with a curious smile on his face, putting an arm around Mingyu’s shoulder. “And I will tell you why each and every one of them is a bad idea.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes at that but talking to Seungcheol always helps him sort out his own thoughts so he gladly takes on the opportunity to get a second opinion. “I thought about Im Changkyun. You know, Soonyoung’s friend.”

“Changkyun?” Seungcheol immediately shakes his head. “He’s already dating his roommate though.”

Shit, Mingyu didn’t know that. “Is he? Well, then I’m crossing him off the list. What about Bang Chan? He’s also a producer, so they can bond over that.”

“I don’t think they are on the same wavelength beyond that, though. Bang Chan wears his heart on his sleeve and is like, really sensitive. I think that might clash with Jihoon a lot. And we all know how Jihoon feels about people called Chan. Next.”

They go through a bunch of other HUA students but Seungcheol has something to say against each and every one of them. Sometimes it’s gossip he’s heard somehow, despite not even attending HUA anymore, like the guy who’s apparently still hung up over his ex, and sometimes he makes arguments on their personalities matching with Jihoon’s. There’s a few people he doesn’t actually comment on because he doesn’t know them well enough but he still manages to find a valid reason to reject them.

“You’re all out of potential names now, aren’t you?” Seungcheol asks when Mingyu’s silent for a moment. “See, I think you should just stay out of Jihoon’s life. You clearly have no idea what you’re doing.”

“Actually, I saved the best for last.” There’s one more person in Mingyu’s list, someone he’s had a good feeling about ever since the name popped up in his mind. “Jeon Wonwoo.”

That, for some reason, makes Seungcheol laugh out loud. “Jeon Wonwoo?” he repeats. “Wonwoo and Jihoon? No way.”

“What? He’s a good guy, “ Mingyu defends his choice. “Really sweet, handsome and fun to talk too. He has his charms.”

Seungcheol waves him off. “I know he has his charms. One of my friends actually has a crush on him and talks about him nonstop, so yeah, I’ve heard all about his charms. I just don’t think he’s suited for Jihoon.”

“One of your friends?” Mingyu leans in closer. If he has to hear about another person unavailable because of some messy romantic situation they are in, he’s going to lose his mind. If this one is a failure, then he really is out of ideas. “Which one?”

“It’s Vernon. You know, he started working at our company last year. Wonwoo hung out with him a lot during his internship this summer, “ Seungcheol says.

Mingyu has to think for a moment before he can put a face to the name. He shortly met Vernon at the company’s anniversary party last year and remembers that he seemed polite and easy-going. “Tell me about him. What is he like?”

“Uh… He’s pretty chill, everyone at the office likes him. He’s still young but he’s good at what he does. Like, the kid’s really smart, it’s no joke.” Seungcheol smiles fondly. “I really admire him for the way he thinks and carries himself.”

Mingyu considers this, tilting his head again while thinking. If Vernon has a crush on Wonwoo, then it doesn’t guarantee that Wonwoo likes him back. It doesn’t sound like he has a lot in common with him, after all. “And you think Vernon and Wonwoo will work out?”

“Pretty sure about it, “ Seungcheol says with a nod. “If Vernon ever gets the courage to ask Wonwoo out, which he is trying to build up right now, then I’m sure they could be very happy together.”

“Hm.” In all honesty, Seungcheol does know both Wonwoo and Vernon better than he does. Maybe he’s right, maybe he should just give up on the matchmaking right now or wait for a better chance to come along.

But then his eyes dart over to Jeonghan and Soonyoung, Soonyoung leaning onto Jeonghan’s shoulder, Jeonghan holding his hand in his lap and Soonyoung playing with his fingers while they are both teasing Seungkwan fondly. It makes Mingyu’s heart go soft. So yeah, maybe Seungcheol thinks Wonwoo and Vernon will work out. But does Seungcheol have Mingyu’s intuition when it comes to matchmaking? The very intuition that told him that Soonyoung and Jeonghan would work out? Mingyu doubts it. “I’ll talk to Wonwoo. If he likes Vernon back, I’ll think of someone else for Jihoon.”

Seungcheol just shakes his head at him. “I can’t believe you. If Jihoon knew about this, he would kill you.”

Mingyu grins. “Jihoon loves me too much for that.”

It only takes Mingyu a week to find an opportunity to talk to Wonwoo. He’s an animation major and one of Jun’s close friends. Mingyu has always taken a liking to the guy when Jun has brought him along to parties or when he’s run into him at HUA. It’s not like he actually knows a lot about him so yeah, maybe Mingyu’s opinions on him are mostly based on assumptions and vague vibes, but he trusts his intuition.

At HUA, he’s become quite popular because of his good looks. It’s undeniable that he’s very handsome and blessed with an above average height. Other students swoon over him, especially intrigued by his mysterious aura that makes it hard to approach him but makes him all the more interesting.

In Mingyu’s opinion, there’s something more awkward than mysterious and intriguing about him when he encounters social situations. Even though he can relate to awkwardness and knows the feeling all too well, Wonwoo is unable to embrace it like Jeonghan, play it off like Mingyu or laugh it away like Seungkwan. Instead, the awkwardness is always lingering in the air when Wonwoo talks to someone he is not close to. It’s endearing in a way, Mingyu finds.

Just from their previous few conversations, Mingyu can tell that there are lots of things Wonwoo has in common with Jihoon. Besides being born in the same year, they both seem to be introverts that need some time to open up to new people but get excited when they talk about something they are passionate about. They share a love for music, a common interest they can bond over. Wonwoo seems to be a highly intelligent person, just like Jihoon is. If the chemistry is right, he’s sure the two of them will get along perfectly.

This realization strikes Mingyu when he sees Wonwoo in the coffee shop close to campus. His gut feeling immediately tells him that this is his guy, this is the one for Jihoon. So, without any hesitation, he walks over. “Hey, Wonwoo!”

Wonwoo looks up from his laptop in surprise. When he recognizes Mingyu, an awkward yet polite smile appears on his face. “Hi, “ he greets back quietly.

“Can I sit with you?” Mingyu asks casually as if this was a regular occurrence for them. Usually, Mingyu would have waved at him or maybe made some small talk but wouldn’t have even considered sitting down to have an actual conversation. 

“Um, sure.” The question obviously came unexpected for Wonwoo and he shuffles uncomfortably, staring back at his laptop to avoid looking into Mingyu’s eyes.

Mingyu gives him a friendly smile as he sits down. The atmosphere is already awkward and Mingyu still has a long way to go to get this conversation going in the way he wants to. “What are you working on?” he asks, pointing to the screen.

They go through several minutes of stiff small talk until Wonwoo seems to relax in Mingyu’s presence. They talk about their classes, Wonwoo’s upcoming assignment he is working on right now and Jun’s dance recital they both watched last month. It’s nothing personal and the awkwardness only barely decreases during the course of the conversation but Wonwoo turns out to be a decent conversationalist and good listener.

Soon enough, Mingyu starts telling him about their weekly Friday night dinners at his apartment. He rants a bit about how this one is going to be interesting because it’s the first one after Jeonghan’s move, then he tries to naturally lead up to the very thing he’s approached Wonwoo for. “You know, you should come, if you’re free.”

Wonwoo’s eyes widen and he looks genuinely shocked by the question. “Are you inviting me to your dinner with all your closest friends?”

Mingyu gives him a warm smile. “No pressure! But I’d like it if you would come, I think you’d fit right in with our group. Jun’s coming too, obviously. And I’m making beef this week.”

“Um, okay. I guess I’ll come.” Wonwoo shrugs, his eyes fixed on a point on his screen.

“Nice!” Mingyu’s smile grows wider. “Give me your number and I’ll text you the details.”

That’s how Mingyu walks out of the coffee shop with a sense of pride and satisfaction. It wasn’t the smooth conversation he hoped for, but he got what he wanted. His plan for his first match (second, counting the success he had with Jeonghan and Soonyoung) is in action and he’s got a good feeling about it.

**_jihoon & wonwoo_ **

When Mingyu opens the door the Friday after, he feels reinforced by the universe that he is on the right path with this yet again. There they are, awkwardly standing next to each other: the soon to be couple, if things go according to plan. It feels like fate that they both arrived at the same time. (He later finds out that it’s just due to the fact that they both took the same bus from HUA but he decidedly forgets that information again for the sake of his own fantasies.)

They look good together, Mingyu registers with pleasure. Something about the height difference, Wonwoo’s sharp and defined features and Jihoon’s soft and round face just works incredibly well next to each other. Maybe that effect is partly (or rather, mostly) because they are both wearing matching oversized sweaters but they definitely look like a couple to Mingyu, a gorgeous one at that.

“We’ve been waiting for you!” he greets them with a warm smile, opening the door widely to let them in. “Well, and Jun. But you know how he is. I’d be more surprised if he was already here, to be honest.”

Jihoon laughs while he takes his coat and shoes off quickly, visibly comfortable in the familiar apartment already. “I’d bet money he hasn’t even left the dorm yet.”

“Then do it!” Jeonghan yells from the living room. “I’m betting against you because he is most definitely already on his way here. He’s just running into his usual mix of delays and distractions.”

Jihoon walks off to discuss the details of the bet with Jeonghan, leaving behind Mingyu and Wonwoo alone. “Just put your shoes and coat here, “ Mingyu says, pointing vaguely at the pile of jackets and shoes chaotically thrown onto a little bench and the floor. “To be honest, I kind of thought you’d be coming with Jun.”

“I was working on a project in the library so I just came directly from university, “ Wonwoo reveals. “Sorry for being a bit late, I kind of misjudged how long the walk from the bus station would take.”

Mingyu appreciates the polite apology with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Almost no one in this group is actually ever on time. Joshua maybe but that guy is the exception to the rule.”

Out of all of them, Joshua is the most pleasant guest. Never too early, never too late, always right on the minute with a kind smile on his face, a funny story from work ready to be told and a bottle of wine in his arms. More than that, his presence balances out the group dynamics perfectly as he can be the one to calm them down when they get too crazy as well as the one to lighten up the mood when there’s tension settling over them. Usually, he blends in with the others’ energy. It’s something Mingyu appreciates about him a lot.

“Oh, I don’t think I have met Joshua yet, “ Wonwoo says as he neatly arranges his shoes and puts his coat on top of the others. “Does he go to HUA?”

“He graduated last year, actually, “ Mingyu explains and starts leading Wonwoo into the living room. “I think you know everyone else besides him, right?” Contrary to his words, he still starts introducing them one by one. “That’s Seungkwan, the pest I call my roommate and best friend, unfortunately.” Seungkwan gives him a glare from where he’s draped all over Jeonghan’s lap but he greets Wonwoo with a smile and wave. “His pillow is Jeonghan, our ex-roommate who left us to move in with his boyfriend, Soonyoung, who is also the one sitting right next to him by the way. On top of Soonyoung we have Seokmin, probably the nicest person you will ever meet in your life. You must have already met Jihoon outside and heard about him at university but he’s a genius producer. Joshua’s the one sitting on the floor in front of him, I just told you about him. Oh, and that’s Seungcheol.” Mingyu makes a vague gesture into Seungcheol’s direction. “Now you’re all caught up! Guys, this is Wonwoo. He’s a student at HUA and one of Jun’s friends.”

Everyone greets Wonwoo warmly but Seungcheol is too focused on staring Mingyu down. “Why does everyone get a proper introduction and all I get is ‘Oh, and that’s Seungcheol’?” He puts a hand to his chest and pouts, his voice slipping into the annoying and loud whining tone that is somehow cute but always makes Mingyu want to slap him. “Why am I not ‘Seungcheol, my handsome and funny friend’ or at least ‘Seungcheol, our annoying neighbour’? Why am I just Seungcheol?”

“I mean, we two already know each other, “ Wonwoo reasons quietly. “I don’t really need a proper introduction for you.”

Mingyu just rolls his eyes. “He already knows who you are! And if I’m going to introduce anyone as ‘my handsome and funny friend’ it’d definitely be Jun.”

Of course, that doesn’t make Seungcheol’s pout go away. “I want a proper introduction. I want to know what you would say about me to someone who doesn’t know me yet.”

Mingyu sighs and turns to Wonwoo again. “Oh, and that one over there is Seungcheol who you already know so what’s the point in introducing him to you.” That only earns him another glare from Seungcheol but he decides to ignore it. “Now that the introduction part is over, let’s move this party to the table and wait for Jun.”

It takes another fifteen minutes until Jun arrives but Mingyu is more than happy to make the best use possible of that time. He subtly makes sure that Jihoon and Wonwoo are sitting next to each other by pointing Wonwoo to a chair when he hovers hesitantly while everyone finds a seat. Then he sits down on Wonwoo’s other side so that he can swipe in in case they need someone to start a conversation or keep one going.

Seungcheol eyes him weirdly but Mingyu isn’t sure if it’s because he abandoned his usual seat at the head of the table, closest to the door and kitchen, or if he’s just sulking over the introduction. Probably both, Mingyu concludes.

Conversation is kept lightly as they all wait, mostly small talk and lots of questions directed at Wonwoo. As the new addition to their group, of course he is the centre of interest today. When Mingyu starts to sense Wonwoo growing more and more uncomfortable, he tries to divert the attention but he’s secretly very pleased by the amount of interest Jihoon is showing in Wonwoo. Sure, it’s mostly about music and his rapping but it’s a start, a promising start.

“Maybe Wonwoo can rap for one of your tracks one day, he’s seriously good, “ Mingyu suggests, trying to slip it into the conversation naturally as if he hasn’t already been thinking about this for days.

Wonwoo blushes a bit at the compliment and looks down to the table. “Thank you. It’d be cool to work with someone so talented.”

That’s another thing the two of them have in common: they suck at handling compliments. Jihoon awkwardly takes a sip of water before he smiles vaguely into Wonwoo’s direction but entirely avoiding eye contact with him. “Thanks. Just give me your number later and we can arrange something.”

Mingyu grins widely at the cute little interaction between them. Of course they are still shy around each other, having just properly met today but in Mingyu’s eyes, the awkwardness is adorable.

Once Jun arrives and Mingyu can finally bring out the food he spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen for, with only minor assistance by Seungkwan and Soonyoung and Jeonghan who, for no reason, arrived three hours early. Their excuse was to “help with the cooking and, you know, table stuff” but all they did was stand in Mingyu’s way and _selflessly_ volunteer to taste the food without even being asked to. His time and efforts are however completely repaid in praise, approving humming noises through filled mouths and empty plates.

The actual eating part of dinner is always the calmest time of their get-togethers. They are all too busy shoving as much food as possible into their mouths that there’s not much conversation going on and what is being said is most likely related to food. After dinner, when they have migrated back into the living room, is when the real chaos starts. If the group is usually loud and excited during daytime, it gets worse when everyone’s newly reenergized by food and slightly tipsy off the alcohol at night.

Seungkwan is currently in the midst of dramatically re-enacting the Pants Incident from high school, a story that literally every person present excluding Wonwoo has already heard a hundred of times but yet again, everyone bursts out into laughter at Mingyu’s embarrassing past. Usually, Mingyu would not hesitate to jump up and counterattack with one of the many embarrassing high school stories there are about Seungkwan but today, he is a man on a mission (and well, he can still embarrass Seungkwan after that).

So, Mingyu slides off the couch to sit next to Wonwoo who looks slightly uncomfortable and a bit out of place but still vaguely amused. “Hey, “ he says, leaning closer so that the other guy can hear him over the cheering and laughter in the room. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

Wonwoo nods. “He’s really funny, “ he says, looking back at Seungkwan in the front with a small smile. Then he turns back to Mingyu. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course.” Mingyu gently puts a hand on Wonwoo’s arm, studying Wonwoo’s face to see if he is okay with the contact. When the smile stays on his face, he lets his hand rest there. “I’m glad you’re here. You’re a cool guy, you know. Makes me regret that we never became friends before.”

Wonwoo’s eyes widen a bit at the compliment. “Really? That’s … nice.” There it is again, the sort of awkward shy atmosphere he has going for him. Mingyu notices that he pulls down the sleeves of his sweaters over his hands, an incredibly soft gesture that makes him want to protect the older guy.

“How do you like the others?” Mingyu asks, moving in even closer to Wonwoo to make a private conversation possible. He attempts to lower his voice but he’s never been good at talking quietly, his volume always a bit above the socially acceptable level but he tries hard to speak quietly now.

“They are all so… loud, “ he gestures with his hand at the screaming going on right now but he doesn’t seem too bothered by it, only slightly overwhelmed. “But they’re fun. I didn’t get the chance to talk to all of them, but Soonyoung and Jihoon seem really nice.”

Mingyu can’t help the grin spreading on his lips at the mention of Jihoon. He was hoping that Wonwoo would mention him explicitly but he tries not to be too obvious about it. “Soonyoung’s amazing, isn’t he? He always brightens the mood in our group. And he’s so talented. Just like Jihoon! I’m sure you’ve heard about his producing skills at school. But seriously, he’s a genius. To be honest, I wonder why he’s still single. I mean, look at him, he has the looks, the personality and he’s incredibly romantic, judging by his lyrics.” Maybe he’s going a bit too far, Mingyu thinks to himself. Kind of sounds like he’s the one in love with Jihoon. Time to frantically take a step back. “Well, sometimes Jihoon can be a fucking asshole too.”

He says that last sentence a bit too loud and timed right when the laughter and cheering for Seungkwan’s performance has died down and there’s a moment of relative quiet in the room. So, of course, everyone hears him. “Are you badmouthing me?” Jihoon asks from the couch, squinting a bit at the two of them. “When I’m sitting right here?”

Well, now Mingyu’s fucked. Instead of all the nice things he has said about him, of course he has to hear that. “Um… Just giving Wonwoo a little insight into our group, “ he says. “At least you’re only sometimes an asshole, not all the time like Seungkwan.” He winks at his best friend to make sure he knows that he isn’t serious.

Seungkwan just scoffs. “You’re the real asshole here, Kim Mingyu.”

“Can’t argue with that, “ Jihoon sides with him. He looks a bit pouty, probably not at all appeased by Mingyu’s attempt at deflection.

“Sorry.” Mingyu scoots over, putting his head on Jihoon’s leg. “We can be assholes together, then.”

That makes Jihoon laugh and he doesn’t push Mingyu off either, so Mingyu takes that as acceptance of his apology and gets comfortable on his leg. That kind of makes it impossible for him to continue his conversation with Wonwoo, though. So he settles on the next best, maybe even better thing: striking up a conversation with both Wonwoo and Jihoon.

“Anyways, Wonwoo, don’t trust my words too much, “ Mingyu turns to the other guy, nudging him with his foot to get his attention. “Once you spend more time with us, you will be able to form your own opinions on everyone.”

Wonwoo scoots a bit closer and smiles at Mingyu. “I’m sure I’ll still like everyone then.”

“You’re one of the nice ones, “ Jihoon comments, leaning down a bit so that Wonwoo can hear him. “I think you’ll fit right in with us.”

It’s a sweet and welcoming thing for Jihoon to say and Mingyu gets a rush of satisfaction from it. Wonwoo blushes slightly, playing around with his sweater paws. “I hope you’re right.”

“I usually am. Sometimes, the guys can get a bit much, when they are all hyped up and excited but you get used to it. When that happens, I often just sit back and enjoy the chaos.” Jihoon is looking directly at Wonwoo, giving him his full attention.

Mingyu feels like it’s time for him to step back, something he hasn’t expected to happen that quickly into the conversation. This is a conversation for introverts, the perfect chance for the two to figure out their similarities and bond over them. So, he stands up and excuses himself. “I should get started on the dishes, “ he says lamely, which isn’t theoretically wrong as they are piling up in the kitchen but usually, Seungkwan and he would tend to them after everyone’s left, putting on some music and singing along while cleaning up.

“I can help you, “ Wonwoo offers immediately, already making a move to get up as well.

“We could both help, “ Jihoon suggests. Mingyu can’t recall Jihoon ever offering to help out with anything voluntarily. Is it possible that he’s trying to make a good impression on Wonwoo?

“No, you guys stay here, I’ll be fine on my own, “ Mingyu waves them both off and walks over to the kitchen. He hears footsteps following him and for a moment he thinks it might be one of them, but it turns out to be Seungcheol walking behind him with a playful grin.

They don’t say a word to each other until they’re alone in the privacy of the kitchen, the door shut. “You’re not here to help me with the dishes, “ he observes, raising an eyebrow at him.

Seungcheol gives him a sheepish smile, leaning against the counter casually as if he belongs in this kitchen. Which, with all the time he spends here, he kind of does. “How is it going?” He doesn’t need to specify what he means, it’s obvious that he’s asking about Jihoon and Wonwoo.

“I think it’s going well so far.” Mingyu hoists himself up on the counter opposite of Seungcheol. “They seem to be getting along fine and they have lots of things in common.”

“There’s no way these two are going to work out, “ Seungcheol argues. “Wonwoo is no match for Jihoon. He’s too awkward and shy.”

Mingyu scoffs. “Jihoon’s awkward too. I don’t see a problem, they are getting along in there.”

“Jihoon and Wonwoo will become good friends, I have no doubts about that. But in a relationship, I think Jihoon needs someone more assertive and outgoing to balance him off, someone who will challenge him and be blunt with him. I don’t think Wonwoo can be that for him.” It seems like Seungcheol has really thought this through and he seems sure of his point of view.

“Why do you think that? Jihoon’s never been in a relationship, I think if there’s a decent foundation for it, it doesn’t really matter how assertive or outgoing his partner is. With Wonwoo, they will probably have an easy time understanding where the other is coming from and work out together how to best make a relationship work.”

Seungcheol furrows his brows. “How do you know that they will understand each other? Have you ever actually had a conversation with Wonwoo to figure out how he thinks and works or are you just basing this on your first impression of him?”

It’s hard to admit, but Seungcheol has a point with this. It’s not like Mingyu actually knows Wonwoo that well but he’s trusting his gut to guide him and his gut is telling him that Wonwoo and Jihoon are a match. “You don’t know Wonwoo that well either, “ he bites back. “How do you know that he isn’t perfect for Jihoon?”

“You’re right, “ Seungcheol accepts easily. “But I’ve gotten to know him a bit during his internship so I think I know him better than you. And I know Jihoon very well.”

“I also know Jihoon very well!” Mingyu crosses his arms over his chest. “To be honest, I think you’re biased in this because you’re friends with Vernon.” It’s nothing that Mingyu can really hold against him. “I honestly think you’re really wrong about Wonwoo and Jihoon so I will continue to try this.”

Seungcheol scoffs a bit. “You’re really serious about this matchmaking thing and really sure of yourself for someone who knows nothing about relationships.”

“Just because I’ve never been in one myself doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.” Mingyu is getting worked up now. “I’ve observed other people’s relationships enough to know a thing or two about it. And as we’ve seen with Jeonghan and Soonyoung, I have a natural instinct for seeing love before it even fully took seed between two people.”

“You’re really going to use this one time you were right as justification to meddle in other people’s business. Just let Wonwoo and Jihoon be and figure it out themselves.”

“I’m just helping them, “ Mingyu says. He’s getting upset, so he does what he usually does when he’s upset: clean. He hops off the counter and turns around to the sink and turns on the water. “Now get out of my kitchen or help me with those dishes.”

Seungcheol just lets out a sigh and leaves the room.

The next golden opportunity for some subtle matchmaking comes to Mingyu in the form of a college party. It’s the perfect place to test their chemistry, Mingyu thinks. In his experience, attraction always seems to be enhanced after a few cups of beer, surrounded by the smell of smoke and sweat and an unholy amount of making out couples.

“Soonyoung won’t last long tonight, “ Jihoon says, looking at their hyped up friend. As it is tradition, they had a little pregame at their apartment and Soonyoung’s already been drunk when they arrived. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from immediately getting more drinks. “He’s gonna be lying passed out in the corner in like, an hour or two.”

Mingyu laughs because it’s true, wouldn’t be the first time. “Jeonghan’s going to take care of him, “ he assures Jihoon and himself. Right when he says that, Jeonghan and Soonyoung down a love shot together, not doing much to support his statement.

Jihoon just gives him a pointed look. “Sure about that?”

“Maybe not, “ Mingyu admits with a sigh. “Just hope he doesn’t throw up in my car later.”

They both watch in amusement as Soonyoung grimaces at the taste of whatever he’s just downed. “This is so not going to end well, “ Jihoon comments but he’s grinning widely. 

Seungkwan pushes his way through the other people getting drinks to get to Mingyu and Jihoon. He’d left them alone right when they entered the house, ready to socialize and look for his other friends. “Guys, guess who’s here, “ he hisses, a scowl on his face making it obvious that it’s not someone he’s fond of.

“Lee Chan, “ Jihoon immediately replies, a frown wiping away the grin from his face.

“How did you know?” Seungkwan looks at Jihoon with wide eyes, probably not really expecting them to guess the answer.

Jihoon just shrugs vaguely, peering at his shoes. “I heard his laugh earlier.”

It’s a bit of a miracle that Jihoon managed to pick out one specific laugh out of the loud background noise of the music, yelling and talking. It’s even more of a surprise that he can actually recognize Chan’s laugh. But now that Mingyu’s paying attention to the sounds, he’s pretty sure he can make out Seungcheol’s loud voice from the room next to them, so maybe it’s not that much of a miracle.

“The evening just started and he’s already trying to get on my nerves, “ Seungkwan tells them. “He challenged me to play billiard against him later. I’m going to fucking destroy him.”

“Why does he always have to be everywhere we go?” Jihoon asks with a deep sigh. “Can’t I just have one damn evening without him running around and buddying it up with all my friends?”

“I’m not buddying up with him!” Seungkwan insists, almost sounding offended at the mere suggestion that he might be on friendly terms with Chan. “I’m just going to beat his ass at games. With ease, that is.”

“But everyone else is, “ Jihoon says.

Mingyu pats his shoulder. “Maybe you should give Chan one more chance, you know. He’s actually a really cool guy.”

Now both Jihoon and Seungkwan are giving him their death glares and Mingyu can’t do anything else but laugh, even though it’s a quite terrifying experience to be met with their combined wrath. 

“He’s not a cool guy. I don’t know why everyone loves him so much, he tries way too hard.” Jihoon pushes Mingyu’s hand off his shoulder. “You are all just blinded by his cute face.”

Despite the fact that Chan does have a cute face, Mingyu can’t agree with that. Sure, he always does try hard, being hard-working and passionate is what makes him such an amazing dancer. But there’s more to him than that – he’s bold, confident, smart. It’s always fun to hang out with him and he definitely knows how to have a good time. If it wasn’t for his best friend’s unreasonable grudge against him, Mingyu thinks Chan would be a really great friend and addition for their group.

“I think you two are just blinded by your own misconceptions about him. If you tried a bit harder, you would actually get along.”

Jihoon just scoffs. “Never going to happen. I just want to not have to hear about him or see him all the time.”

“And I just want to beat him because I enjoy making fun of him, “ Seungkwan says. “Now, excuse me, I’m going to look for Joshua.” He disappears back into the crowd again.

“I’m gonna go get a drink, “ Jihoon says and walks over to Soonyoung and Jeonghan, immediately chugging down the shot they offer him.

That leaves Mingyu alone at the counter, his soda in his hand. He decides that this is his chance to escape the kitchen and go look for Wonwoo. So he lets his other friends get wasted by themselves and makes his way through the crowded living room. He spots Seungkwan and Joshua on the couch, sitting close together and leaning in to be able to talk to each other over the music. When he tries to make his way through the dancing crowd to the terrace, he’s held back by someone grabbing his arm. 

“Mingyu!” Seungcheol grins at him, cheeks flushed. He slings his arm around him, as always touchier when drunk. “There you are, I’ve been looking for you.”

“I was just in the kitchen with the others, “ Mingyu explains, nodding back where he just came from. “Do you know where Wonwoo and Jun are?”

He’s not sure if Seungcheol even heard his question or if he just chooses to ignore it. “Come play rage cage with me, “ he demands, pouting up at him with pleading eyes.

“Driver, “ Mingyu reminds him and points at his chest.

“Oh right. Then let’s go sing karaoke! They set up a machine in the basement!” The prospect of karaoke has him even more enthusiastic than rage cage, his face shining from excitement. Drunk Seungcheol absolutely loves karaoke, more confident about singing than a sober Seungcheol would ever be.

Mingyu lets out a deep sigh. It’s hard to refuse Seungcheol when he’s asking like that, blinking up to him with his pleading eyes. So he just follows obediently as Seungcheol drags him down the stairs. For the next hour or so, they take turns on the karaoke machine with a group of girls that are flawlessly interpreting 90s pop hits, they themselves mainly going for emotional ballads.

For a while, he forgets about his actual goal of the evening – getting Wonwoo and Jihoon to talk – and just enjoys the moment. But then Soonyoung and Jun come blasting into the room and immediately run over, Soonyoung taking the mic straight out of Mingyu’s hand and jumping into a very passionate performance with Seungcheol. His presence isn’t really needed anymore, so he decides it’s time to get into action. He pats Seungcheol’s shoulder and goes back upstairs, looking for Wonwoo or Jihoon or best of all, both of them.

Finding Jihoon turns out to be pretty easy because he’s at the rage cage table with Chan. They are both very obviously drunk and loudly screaming at each other. Mingyu doesn’t really want to get in the way of whatever they are doing, so he goes to the living room and hunts Wonwoo down. He finally finds him all by himself on the terrace, scrolling through something on his phone. Somehow, he found a somewhat quiet spot, a bit away from a making out couple, some smoking girls caught in a deep conversation and the guy who’s currently puking his guts out into the bushes while his homie awkwardly rubs his back.

“Hey, “ Mingyu greets and gets down on the floor next to Wonwoo. “What are you doing out here?”

Wonwoo puts his phone away and gives Mingyu a friendly smile. “I just needed some air. And I lost Jun so… I felt a bit awkward.”

“Well, I’m here now. I’ll be your party buddy for the rest of the night, if you want, “ Mingyu offers with a bright smile. Even apart from all the matchmaking stuff, Mingyu genuinely likes Wonwoo and would like to spend more time with him.

“Sure, “ Wonwoo replies.

They sit in comfortable silence for a while. It could be quite the peaceful moment, just sitting next to each other and looking up into the night sky together. It’s just kind of hard to enjoy the atmosphere when Mingyu can still feel the bass of the music vibrating through his body and smell the vomit from the now passed out guy a few meters away from them. There’s also not much to see in the night sky, not with all the light pollution of the city.

The music gets louder when the door to the house is being opened, the couple that was making out earlier disappearing inside again. Mingyu looks after them for a moment, then he remembers that he’s been meaning to ask Wonwoo something. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Wonwoo shuffles a bit awkwardly, avoiding Mingyu’s eyes. “Uh… why are you asking?”

Mingyu shrugs. “Just wondering.”

“I’m not. What about you?” Wonwoo turns to him now, studying his face.

“Nope. I’ve actually never been in a relationship, “ Mingyu confesses. “Just … never seriously been interested in anyone.”

“Same. Not the second part… but I’ve never seriously dated anyone either.”

Mingyu takes that in with a nod. So Jihoon and Wonwoo are similarly experienced when it comes to romance. “Well, do you have your eyes on anyone right now?” he asks next. If Seungcheol’s right, this is his chance to talk about his feelings for Vernon.

“Not really?” It comes out more like a question than a definite answer. “I mean… there’s this guy… “

“Oh?” Mingyu tries to not let it show that he’s a bit disappointed and worried to hear that. “Tell me about him.”

“Um, I met him during my internship at Seungcheol’s company. His name is Vernon.” Wonwoo plays around with the sleeves of his sweater. “I don’t really know where we stand but we get along really well and he often wants to hang out with just me.”

Seungcheol’s warned him about this, Mingyu realizes. So Wonwoo is at least somewhat aware of Vernon’s feelings. “Do you like him, though?”

“I don’t know, “ Wonwoo looks at the ground. “What does it even feel like to like someone?”

Mingyu wishes he had an answer for that but he has never really liked anyone before either so all he can do is shrug. He tries to come up with an answer, thinking of all the couples he knows and the movies he’s seen and the books and poems he has read but he can’t think of anything. “I guess if you liked him, you would know, “ he finally says.

Wonwoo considers that for a moment. “Hmm… that makes sense.”

Mingyu gives him some time to think about it, returning to the silence between them. It only gets interrupted when someone opens the door again and Jihoon comes out, an angry look on his face and a red cup in his hands. Mingyu can’t contain his excitement, immediately scooting over and making place between him and Wonwoo. “Jihoon!” he says, waving him over.

Jihoon lets himself fall down between them, cheeks and ears burning red. “Why does he have to be so fucking annoying?”

“Chan?” Mingyu guesses, remembering that he saw the two of them together earlier. “Did you two fight? Were you mean to him again? You know that he’s sensitive.”

Instead of answering, Jihoon takes a huge gulp out of his cup. “Why am I the asshole here? He’s the one getting on my nerves all the time and I’m the asshole for saying it.”

Mingyu lets out a sigh. “If you think he’s annoying, why don’t you just avoid him?”

“I want to, “ Jihoon mumbles, letting his head fall down between his knees. “But I can’t.”

Mingyu shares a confused look with Wonwoo over Jihoon’s hunched figure. “Should I go?” Wonwoo mouths, pointing at the door. That’s the last thing Mingyu wants, so he shakes his head at him.

“Just stay away from him for the rest of the night, okay?” Mingyu says, putting his hand on Jihoon’s back. “Stay with us for now.”

Jihoon makes a nodding motion and for a while, he just sits between them emptying his cup and staring into the void. To avoid the uncomfortable tension, Mingyu makes meaningless small talk with Wonwoo and rubs small circles on Jihoon’s back to comfort him. It’s not how Mingyu imagined the evening to go, but at least he has the two of them out here together. After a while, Jihoon even starts throwing his own comments into the conversation and Mingyu counts that as success.

He’s probably been outside on the terrace with Wonwoo for an hour, the smoking girls and puking guy long disappeared and replaced by new people escaping the chaos of the party, when Seungkwan opens the door and calls for him.

“We need to get Soonyoung home. He’s… not doing well, “ he says, sticking his head out.

Mingyu lets out a sigh and gets up. Of course, that was bound to happen sooner or later tonight. “Fine.” He turns to Wonwoo and gives him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, guess you need to find a new party buddy.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.”

Jihoon is about to get up as well, understandably so as he came here with Mingyu but Seungkwan waves him off. “You can stay here, I already talked to Joshua and he still has an empty seat.”

“Okay.” Jihoon shrugs, not seeming to mind much and sits back down next to Wonwoo. “Guess I’ll be Wonwoo’s new party buddy.”

Mingyu grins widely at that, happy that the two will talk to each other alone for a while. He goes back inside, looking back at them sitting next to each other outside one more time. It’s the perfect opportunity for some bonding, Mingyu thinks. Maybe the evening went even better than expected, after all.

After the party, Mingyu gets more determined with his matchmaking. Vernon never comes up in conversations again, so he thinks that’s out of the way and over. Now he can concentrate on getting Wonwoo to be interested in Jihoon, so he sets up “coincidental” run-ins with Jihoon when he hangs out with him, made possible by Jihoon’s predictable schedule. Of course, they keep seeing each other at dinner every Friday as well and Mingyu is pleasantly surprised to see them make conversation on their own without him intervening.

Then, he gets back to the idea of Wonwoo rapping on one of Jihoon’s tracks and soon enough, Mingyu and Wonwoo are on their way to his studio.

“I’m glad you’re doing this with me. I think I’d be nervous doing it alone, “ Wonwoo says with a little chuckle.

It was Jihoon’s idea to have them both rap on a track together. It’s not exactly what Mingyu had planned, third-wheeling on their first unofficial date. But maybe it’s a good thing after all, maybe it’ll help put Wonwoo at ease and make things a bit less awkward. Plus, Mingyu loves rapping for Jihoon’s tracks. “There’s really no need to be nervous. You’ll do great and Jihoon’s gonna help you with anything you might struggle with.”

Wonwoo smiles at that. “I’m sure he’s got lots of experience with it.”

“Yeah, he’s been making music for years. You’re in good hands.”

Mingyu thinks back to his own first time visiting Jihoon at his studio. Back then, he wasn’t even there to record, just to pick up Jihoon so they could get dinner together after. All he did was sit on the couch and scroll through his phone as he waited for him to finish. Still, it’s a moment that Mingyu treasures. It felt a bit like a revelation, seeing Jihoon so immersed in his element. There’s something intimate about getting to watch someone do the thing they love and it helped Mingyu to understand Jihoon better as a person, in a way. Mingyu hopes it will be similar for Wonwoo, hopes he’ll feel closer to him after this.

When they’re nearing the building Jihoon’s rented studio is in, Mingyu spots a familiar face walking towards them. “Hey, Chan!” he yells, waving his hand to catch his attention.

Lee Chan looks up from where he’d been staring at his phone, his pace slowing down as he walks towards the two of them. “Uh, “ he clears his throat awkwardly, then puts on a smile. “Hi.”

Up close, Mingyu can immediately see that something is wrong. His smile looks pained and fake and there’s something hollow about his eyes. For a moment, Mingyu questions whether he should ask him about it, but then he feels like he’d be overstepping boundaries with that. After all, they aren’t really friends. So he settles on something more casual. “What are you doing here?”

“I was … taking care of something, “ Chan said vaguely. “Are you on your way to Jihoon’s studio?”

“Yeah, ” Mingyu confirms, then he gestures towards Wonwoo. “Wonwoo and I are going to rap for him.”

They suffer through an awful minute of small talk, mainly carried on Mingyu’s back. But clearly, Chan’s mind is elsewhere right now and Wonwoo just quietly stands beside him, so eventually, he decides to just give up. “We should get going now, but it was nice running into you.”

Chan nods weakly. “Hope you have fun with Jihoon.” He raises his hand in a short wave before he continues his earlier path, pace so quick he’s almost running.

“Isn’t that the guy Jihoon complained about at the party?” Wonwoo asks once he’s gone.

“That’s him, “ Mingyu says. “The two of them don’t really get along but don’t ask me, I don’t understand why either.”

Just a few minutes later, Mingyu and Wonwoo finally walk into Jihoon’s studio. Just like always, it’s dark besides a decorative blue LED and the light of the screens. Jihoon’s hunched over the desk, cap pulled low into his face. He greets them with a grumbled “Hi”, not tearing his eyes away from whatever he’s working on right now.

“We ran into Chan on our way here, “ Mingyu tells him about the weird encounter, mostly to avoid awkward silence. “He looked kind of distressed.”

Much to Mingyu’s surprise, that’s enough to get Jihoon’s full attention. In just seconds, he turns around and stares at him wide-eyed. “Distressed?”

Mingyu nods. “I don’t know, maybe classes are stressing him out, “ he offers a possible explanation.

“Or romantic troubles, “ Wonwoo adds quietly.

“Well, that could also be, “ Mingyu says. Jeonghan and Soonyoung never mentioned anything about Chan dating, but then again Mingyu doesn’t know too much about Chan’s personal life so it’s possible that he is or was seeing someone. “Maybe I’ll ask my friends about it later.”

“If you two can stop gossiping, we can start.” Jihoon’s tone is snappy, almost annoyed. His back is turned to them again, his face leaning close to the screen.

As they start working on the track, Mingyu forgets all about Chan, mind focused on his role as matchmaker. To his disappointment, Jihoon’s sole attention lies on his work, which isn’t exactly unusual, but Mingyu was hoping for some more work-unrelated conversations between him and Wonwoo.

Still, the meeting isn’t completely in vain. “You’re really good, “ Jihoon praises Wonwoo after the recording. “Your tone is like, perfect for the song and I love your flow.”

Wonwoo blushes under the compliment, looking more at the screen behind Jihoon than his face. “Thank you. It was a lot of fun, actually.”

Jihoon smiles a bit. “Then I hope I’ll get to see you in here again. I think you’re gonna be great for some of the tracks I’m composing right now.” The two of them working together more often sounds perfect in Mingyu’s ears and he has to try hard not to start grinning.

“Id love that. Just text me anytime.”

“Do you wanna get dinner with us?” Mingyu asks, already planning his own escape from it by faking an emergency at home.

Jihoon hesitates for a moment but then he looks at the screen. “I need to finish up here, “ he says. “And I already got something.” His hand motions towards two cups of instant ramen on his table.

“You should eat a proper meal.” There’s a hint of concern in Wonwoo’s voice and expression and it melts Mingyu’s heart.

“I’ll be fine, “ Jihoon waves him off. “As always. I kind of… just need to be alone tonight.”

“Oh, okay.” Wonwoo casts a questioning look at Mingyu.

It’s not unusual for Jihoon to want to be alone and stay up late to work on his music, so Mingyu just shakes his head slightly. Even if something is bothering Jihoon, he’s more likely to tell it to Seungcheol or Jeonghan than to open up to Mingyu and Wonwoo right now. He reaches out to give Jihoon’s shoulder a comforting squeeze, though. “We’ll leave you to it, then.”

Even though the recording was somewhat disappointing to Mingyu, he gets back on track with his plan afterwards and makes solid progress. A month after he decided on setting them up, Mingyu thinks he’s almost done with his job. He catches Wonwoo texting with Jihoon when they hang out together and Jihoon talking about something funny Wonwoo showed him when he comes around to the apartment alone. Vernon hasn’t come up in a conversation ever again and Mingyu is happy.

That is, until Wonwoo gets sick and doesn’t come to one of their Friday dinners. Mingyu thinks it’s the perfect chance to inquire what Jihoon thinks about him so once they are all done eating and back on the living room couch, he sits down next to Jihoon and throws an arm around him.

“It’s sad that Wonwoo couldn’t come tonight, “ Mingyu says, looking around the living room. Joshua and Seokmin are off in their own world, looking rather earnest in their conversation. Soonyoung and Jun are scrunched together over one phone playing some game, Soonyoung loudly reacting to whatever is happening in the game.

Then there’s Seungkwan and Jeonghan who are currently talking about god knows what but judging by their laughter, it’s very funny. Seungcheol, previously engaged in the conversation as well, very unsubtly leans over to Mingyu and Jihoon to listen in to their conversation.

“Yeah, “ Jihoon agrees. “I miss him. Everything feels a bit more balanced and complete when he’s here. But he’s been sending me memes all evening to keep me company.”

Mingyu smiles, incredibly pleased by what he just heard. He does agree with him that Wonwoo balances out their group really well but Jihoon missing Wonwoo and the memes? That’s blooming young love, Mingyu thinks. “That’s sweet of him. You two really do get along well, huh?”

Jihoon nods, an uncharacteristically soft smile on his lips. “I like him. He’s a cool guy.”

It’s all going even better than Mingyu has imagined. Now all he needs to do is give Jihoon a little, maybe not so subtle push into the right direction. “You know, you two would be cute together. Maybe you should, like, go on a date.”

That does not get the shy, blushing reaction he hoped for. Instead, he is met with complete and utter surprise. “What?” Jihoon says, furrowing his brows. “You think I should go on a date with Wonwoo?” He seems very opposed to that idea, if his tone and the frown on his face are any indication.

“Yeah? I kind of thought this is where things between you two would go, “ Mingyu says. His eyes automatically wander back to Seungcheol who is already looking at him. There’s a hint of satisfaction about being right on his face but there’s something else, something Mingyu can’t quite interpret so he chooses to ignore it.

Jihoon scoffs. “How the fuck did you even get that impression? We’re just friends. Besides, I’m in love with someone else.”

“Oh.” Mingyu looks back at Jihoon with wide eyes. “You are in love with someone?”

“Unfortunately, “ Jihoon replies, letting out a deep sigh. “I really wish I wasn’t. I really wish I fell for someone smart and handsome and uncomplicated like Wonwoo who sends me memes but no, I am an idiot. Of course I fall for a fucking asshole that keeps on getting on my nerves. Maybe if his smile wasn’t so fucking cute…” Jihoon raises his hands in frustration before he seems to realize that he’s still talking to Mingyu and shuts up, looking at him with wide eyes.

Jihoon isn’t usually very open about his emotions so Mingyu is even more surprised about this little outburst. Seems like he’s been holding all this in for a while and really needed to get it out. “I shouldn’t have said all that, “ Jihoon says after a moment of awkward silence they spend staring at each other.

“It’s fine, “ Mingyu says but his thoughts are racing way too fast in his head. A part of him is disappointed that his plans of setting Wonwoo and Jihoon up didn’t work out, upset about how absolutely wrong he’s been about him. Another part of him is just very curious to figure out who it is that has Jihoon this worked up. “Is it someone we know?” he asks carefully.

Seungcheol leans even closer, not even trying to mask that he’s been listening all along. “Is it someone from HUA?”

Jihoon gives him a glare before he looks down on his hands. Very quietly, so quietly that Mingyu can barely make out the name, he whispers: “It’s Chan.”

 **_~~jihoon & wonwoo~~  
_ ** **_jihoon & chan_ **

That revelation makes Seungcheol fall off the couch from laughter. “No way, “ he wheezes out from down there. “I thought you hated him. You always complain about how he is arrogant and way too enthusiastic and full of himself and… ”

“I know, ” Jihoon cuts him off. “I just kind of want to kiss him…?”

Mingyu is having a hard time processing everything that’s happening. It’s one thing that Jihoon and Wonwoo are a failure but learning that Jihoon has had feelings for Chan of all people all along is an entirely different thing.

Opinions on Lee Chan are very torn in their friend group. Soonyoung absolutely adores the younger guy and his ambition, Jun just seems to admire his skill, Seokmin thinks he’s a funny kid and Jeonghan always coos about how cute he is. Mingyu’s never really minded him much either. If it was up to them, Chan would have become a part of their friend group months ago. It’s only ever been because of Seungkwan and Jihoon’s supposed dislike towards him that that didn’t happen. 

The case between Seungkwan and Chan is pretty simple. They got off on the wrong foot and Chan absolutely loves going against Seungkwan and fighting with him on things. It’s nothing that couldn’t be fixed by a few civil conversations if it wasn’t for both of them being way too proud and stubborn to approach the other first. So, they continue to refuse becoming friends and being petty. Still, Mingyu’s pretty sure he could talk Seungkwan into smoothing things out with Chan.

Jihoon and Chan on the other hand, now that’s something Mingyu’s never really been able to understand. Apparently, Jihoon’s just taken one look at Chan and decided to not like the guy. That only motivated Chan to make Jihoon like him and Chan is persistent in everything he does, so he keeps on trying. It’s a mystery to Mingyu how and when Jihoon fell in love with Chan.

“Can we please take a step back and start at the beginning?” Mingyu says, blinking at Jihoon in confusion. “You have feelings for Chan? Lee Chan?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Do we have to talk about this?”

“We kind of do, “Seungcheol says. “You can’t just drop a bomb like that and expect us to not have… questions.”

“Fine. I’ll give you the short version. I never actually had anything against him but pushing him away is just… way easier than dealing with _feelings._ ” Jihoon shrugs vaguely. “Also we might’ve made out in my studio last week and ever since then, things have been… well… a mess.”

“Step back, “ Mingyu repeats, feeling like he’s slowly losing his mind. “So you pretended to dislike him because you didn’t want to deal with your feelings for him? Then how does the making out part happen?”

Jihoon lets out another sigh. “We had a fight and I told him to get lost and really hurt him so I called him to apologize because he doesn’t deserve to be hurt and during my apology, I kind of let it slip that I don’t actually want him to get lost but that I’d rather… well… you know. But then I got scared again so now he’s refusing to talk to me and I am a fucking fool for not letting myself be happy.”

“I can’t deal with this, “ Mingyu says, burying his head in his hands. “This is too much.”

“You’re not helping, “ Seungcheol slaps him over Jihoon, then he puts a hand on his arm. “You know, you should try talking to him again and explain what you’re feeling to him. Honestly and without holding back.”

“If I wanted advice, I would have told you earlier, “ Jihoon says, pushing Seungcheol’s hand off. “I know what I should do. If it was easy, I would have already done it.”

Mingyu turns to look into Jihoon’s eyes again. “We only want you to be happy. And you should let yourself be happy, Jihoon. You’ve already done it once before, you apologized to Chan and somehow, I don’t even want to know how, admitted that you want to kiss him. Find that courage again and tell him what you feel. Give yourself a chance.”

Jihoon lets it sink in for a while. “Feelings suck, “ he finally concludes, stands up from the couch and leaves the room.

“So that went well, “ Mingyu comments, scooting over to Seungcheol and tiredly letting his head fall onto his shoulder.

Seungcheol pulls Mingyu a bit closer and lets his arm rest around him. “They’ll sort it out.” That’s one thing Mingyu admires about Seungcheol – he’s an optimist at heart but he only ever expresses it when he’s confident that his optimism is rooted in a decent amount of realism. He genuinely believes what he’s saying.

Mingyu can’t share Seungcheol’s optimism. After all, Chan and Jihoon are two of the most stubborn and proudest people he’s met. They are both exactly the type to let those feelings get between their relationship. “Either that or the next time Soonyoung drags Chan along is going to be really awkward for all of us.”

“Just have a little faith in Jihoon, “ Seungcheol says. “In a week or two, Chan’s going to be sitting right here with us as Jihoon’s boyfriend.”

Mingyu laughs. “Now you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself.”

Seungcheol turns out to be right. Exactly two weeks later, Jihoon shows up on the doorsteps to the apartment with a grinning Chan standing next to him. The whole living room breaks out into cheers when they walk in together. No one bothers to give an explanation, but no one really needs one because it’s obvious to everyone what happened.

Everyone except for one person who is not cheering and instead looks at the two with a sense of irritation and betrayal. “What are you doing? Jihoon, why did you bring our shared worst enemy into my home?” Seungkwan jumps up, looking around the room to notice that no one else besides him seems surprised. “Guys, what’s going on?”

Jihoon doesn’t bother clearing things up, instead he just falls down on the couch next to Jeonghan who’s grinning widely. “Congrats!” the older guy says. “I’m glad you finally got your shit together.”

Soonyoung gets up from the couch to wrap Chan in a hug. “I’m so happy for you two!”

It’s news to Mingyu that Jeonghan and Soonyoung knew about this but then again, Jeonghan always seems to figure out what’s going on. It’s also possible that Chan came to the couple for advice, seeing as he’s really close to them.

Things seem to click into place for Seungkwan. “You’re dating?” With wide eyes, he looks from Jihoon to Chan and back. “You two are dating?”

“Yeah, “ Chan says with a bright grin. “We two will get to see each other a lot more often from now on!”

Mingyu turns away as his best friend and Chan get into a little verbal fight. Of course, he’s ready to jump at any point to hold Seungkwan back before he physically starts fighting Chan but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Instead, he looks at Seungcheol on the other side of the room who’s already looking right back at him. “I told you so, “ he mouths, a satisfied expression on his face.

At that, Mingyu rolls his eyes but he can’t help but smile a bit. Sure, his matchmaking plans didn’t work out, but there’s such a soft expression on Jihoon’s face when he looks at Chan that’s even more loving and affectionate then when Jihoon talks about how much he adores their friend group when he’s drunk.

Throughout the evening, Mingyu keeps an eye on Jihoon and Chan. They are the stark contrast to Jeonghan and Soonyoung who are constantly all over each other. It seems that Jihoon’s favourite thing to do is teasing Chan and laughing at him. Chan, on the other hand, loves to call Jihoon out on all of his mistakes.

“That was a really stupid move, “ Chan comments when they are all playing card games together, very obviously peering into Jihoon’s hand over his shoulder. “You should’ve used the Ace first.”

“Shut up, “ Jihoon growls. “I know what I’m doing.”

Chan raises an eyebrow at him. “Do you ever, though?” Then he puts down an Ace of his own, a victorious smile already playing around his lips.

In the end, Chan comes in second to last, placing only above his boyfriend. Jihoon, despite losing himself, is more concerned with making fun of him for not winning than his own defeat.

Later that evening, Mingyu finds himself back in the kitchen with Seungcheol, Seungcheol sitting on the counter while Mingyu is leaning against it next to him. “You were right. You said Jihoon needs someone outgoing and blunt who will tell him to his face how things are.”

“Actually, when I said that I was talking about you, “ Seungcheol admits sheepishly. “Maybe I was just projecting back then, though…”

Mingyu turns to look at Seungcheol’s face. He doesn’t really know what he means with projecting, so he just decides to ignore that part. “You thought I was a match for Jihoon?”

Seungcheol tilts his head and laughs a bit. “I guess we were both horribly wrong about him. You thought he was right for Wonwoo, I thought he was right for you.”

“And he was thinking about Chan all along.” Mingyu has to laugh at how wrong the both of them were. “He really is the perfect match for Chan, his true equal. I see your point from back then.”

Seungcheol grins. “Yeah, I was unexpectedly right about a few things. Well, is this enough for you to give up on your matchmaking?”

Mingyu thinks about it for a moment. Now he has one success weighing against one failure… is that enough to give up? “I don’t think so. Everyone’s wrong every once in a while, you know? I’ll get it right the next time.”

Seungcheol shakes his head at him in desperation. “So, who of our friends is your next target?”

For a moment, Mingyu just listens to the loud noises of their friends over in the living room. Right now, Seokmin and Soonyoung seem to be telling a funny story because Mingyu can only make out their voices beneath the roaring of the rest of the group. A particularly carefree laughter stands out to him and he can imagine exactly what its owner looks like right now, head thrown back and eyes almost closed.

“I’m not sure yet, but I will figure it out, “ he says but his mind lingers on Joshua’s laughter long enough for a decision to be made.

**_minghao & joshua_ **

The universe soon makes up for Mingyu’s setback by throwing a surprise his way.

At first, Mingyu doesn’t think too much about it when he receives a call by Soonyoung one day. “Hey, Mingyu!” he greets him cheerfully. “You still have an empty room in your apartment, right?”

“Yeah, “ Mingyu says. They did ask Seokmin to move in quite a while ago, but he said he’d think about it once the semester is over. It’s kind of turned into a ritual for Seungkwan and Mingyu now to sit in the dark and empty room at night when they are alone and talk about life. At first, it’s just because they miss Jeonghan but soon, Jeonghan joins them in sitting there when he’s over and now they just love the acoustic and vibe in the empty room.

“Good to know. I love you, “ Soonyoung lets out quickly and already hangs up again.

It’s not until a few days later that Mingyu understands the purpose of that call. When Soonyoung shows up on his doorsteps with a familiar yet strange face next to him, Mingyu’s just as excited as he is shocked. “Surprise!” Soonyoung yells. “This is Xu Minghao. Minghao, this is Mingyu.”

Xu Minghao is Soonyoung’s friend from an international dance camp in Europe they both attended as teenagers. Despite the fact that they haven’t seen each other in person since then, Soonyoung never misses a chance to talk on and on about how absolutely amazing Minghao is. He’s nothing but a mere phantom for their friend group, a name they all are so familiar with that it feels like he’s their friend when they have never talked to him. They haven’t even been able to meet Minghao in a video call like Jun’s been asking for months. Still, everyone is all too curious about him.

If you can trust Soonyoung’s words, Xu Minghao might as well be a god. He’s absolutely beautiful, that much Mingyu can tell from the number of pictures Soonyoung has shown him. He’s an artistic soul, always seeking for new challenges and ways to express himself – be it painting, dancing, fashion or photography, according to Soonyoung he excels at everything he puts his mind to. He’s intelligent, insightful, intriguing.

Now that Minghao is standing right in front of him, Mingyu can at least confirm that he is as gorgeous in person as he is in pictures. More interesting than his looks, however, is the suitcase in his hands and the apologetic smile on his face when he realizes that Mingyu was most definitely not expecting him. “Hi, “ he says quietly.

Without any further explanation, Soonyoung pushes past Mingyu into the apartment and drags Minghao after him. “You’re going to love it here, it’s way nicer than our place. And Mingyu’s an excellent cook, so you won’t have to eat take out or ramen every night!”

Mingyu just watches silently in shock as Soonyoung leads a stranger through his apartment and rambles on about Mingyu’s cooking and exactly which dishes he’s good at. Then he goes on and explains their Friday night dinners and that all their friends basically see this apartment as their second home. “That over there is Jeonghan’s room. Well, before he moved in with me. Honestly, best thing that ever happened to me in my entire life. There’s nothing more beautiful on this planet than a sleepy Jeonghan who just woke up and I’m serious, that’s my favourite Jeonghan and now I get to look at him every morning like that. No, wait, I take it back, my favourite Jeonghan is probably when he’s happy and giggles so cutely, nothing can top that. Oh wait, but when he’s sleepy _and_ giggling…”

“Please stop talking, “ Minghao says and Mingyu highly respects him for interrupting Soonyoung. It’s not that Mingyu actually minds listening to Soonyoung being so happy and in love but right now, there’s a few things he would rather talk about – like why the fuck there’s a guy with a suitcase standing in the middle of his apartment. “Save that for your wedding vow because I seriously don’t need to know all of that.”

“Right.” Soonyoung returns to the matter at hand with a blush on his cheeks and finally opens the door to the empty room. “So, this is where you’ll be staying. Wait, Mingyu, there’s no bed in here.” He turns to Mingyu with an accusing glare. “Why is there no bed? Where is Minghao supposed to sleep?”

All Mingyu can do is helplessly raise his hands. Jeonghan moved in with his bed all those years ago when they first got the apartment, so Mingyu told him to take it with him or sell it. He’s no idea what actually happened to it, but during the moving day, it just disappeared.

Soonyoung looks around the room again and then shrugs. “I guess you can take Minghao bed-shopping later or tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind sleeping on the floor, just a few sheets and a pillow would be nice, “Minghao says politely, looking at Mingyu.

“Um, we should have some of those somewhere in this apartment, “ Mingyu says. His mind is finally catching up to the situation. “Soonyoung, help me look for them.” He grabs his friend by the arm and pulls him towards his own room, closing the door behind them. “What the fuck?” is the first thing he gets out.

Soonyoung innocently blinks up at him but his grin gives away that he knows exactly what he’s doing. “You said you had an empty room and Minghao needs a place to stay while he’s in town.”

“Why isn’t he staying with you?” Mingyu asks the obvious question. Soonyoung has a perfectly fine apartment with a couch that you can very much sleep on, something Mingyu himself can confirm after falling asleep on it during their last movie marathon. 

“Our apartment is too small. You know, Jeonghan and I already fight over bathroom times. And then I remembered that there’s an empty room right here!” Soonyoung smiles proudly, as if that was the most genius idea ever. It’s obvious that he’s just making up excuses. Either Soonyoung wants Minghao out of the way of whatever he and Jeonghan are up to when they are alone or this is part of his elaborate plan to set up Mingyu and Minghao. Maybe even both.

It’s always been a bit of an ongoing thing that Soonyoung wants to introduce Mingyu to Minghao and there’s the very clear intent of romance behind it. Soonyoung keeps on emphasizing that their personalities would match _so well_ and that they could bond over all their shared interests. Even though Mingyu has never met the guy before today, he’s not particularly fond of the idea of being set up with anyone. He’s looking forward to making a new friend, maybe, but that’s all that he hopes and wishes for.

Mingyu shakes his head. “You should have asked me about this!”

“I asked you about the room, “ Soonyoung says, as if that cryptic ten seconds call was in any way preparation for him just dropping off a stranger to live with them for a bit. “Jeonghan said it’ll be fine.”

“Yoon Jeonghan, “ Mingyu curses quietly under his breath. Of course he had a say in this. Probably was his damn idea.

“Well, anyways, I have dance practice in a few so I can’t really stay but I’ll come back for dinner. You just show Minghao around and help him unpack! He’s a nice guy, you two will get along well.” Soonyoung smiles brightly at Mingyu before he walks out of his room again.

It gives Mingyu a headache that Soonyoung’s acting like it’s perfectly fine to drop off a stranger with a suitcase in someone else’s apartment and then leave right away. Sometimes, Mingyu questions why he puts up with his friends when they pull bullshit like this on him, but he can’t actually be mad at Soonyoung and it’s not like he minds playing host for a few days. That’s why he pulls out the extra sheets from his closet and walks back over to Jeonghan’s former room.

Soonyoung gives him another cheeky grin before saying bye to the two of them and walking away. Once the door closes behind him, a moment of awkward silence settles over the apartment.

“Sorry about that, “ Minghao says after a while. “I thought you knew I was coming. I don’t have to stay here, I can just find a cheap motel room or something.”

Mingyu waves him off. “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry I’m not prepared to be a better host. I don’t even have a bed for you.” He lifts the sheets in his arms a bit. “That’s all I can offer. Might be more comfortable if you sleep on the couch.”

“It’s fine. I’ve slept on worse, “ Minghao says and takes the sheets from Mingyu. “Thank you for letting me stay here despite the… well… circumstances.”

“No problem at all! I’m glad the empty room is finally getting a purpose again, even if it’s just for a bit.” His eyes are fixed on the blank wall that used to be covered in photographs and posters. Sure, maybe Seungkwan and he enjoyed the emptiness for a while, but he’s happy to know that there’s gonna be a bit more life in this room soon. “By the way, how long are you going to stay in town?”

“Uh, nothing’s set yet, “ Minghao shrugs a bit. “Maybe a month? If you want to get rid of me earlier than that, just tell me. I can always find another place to stay at.”

Mingyu smiles warmly. “Don’t bother, you are welcome here as long as you like. Our friend Seokmin’s been thinking about moving in once the semester ends but even if you stay longer than that, I’m sure we can work something out.”

“You’re really nice, “ There’s genuine gratitude in his eyes as he looks at Mingyu. “Thank you so much, really. I’ll pay you back somehow.”

“No need.” Mingyu puts a hand on Minghao’s arm. “Just make yourself at home here and tell me if you have any problems. I’ve actually been excited to meet you. I don’t know if you are aware, but Soonyoung talks about you a lot.”

Minghao chuckles. “He also talks a lot about you guys, so the feeling is mutual.”

They share a friendly smile with each other and Mingyu knows that they are going to get along, just like Soonyoung predicted. While Mingyu helps Minghao settle in and explains how stuff works in the apartment, they make pleasant small talk about Minghao’s flight here today and his life in China. They end up on the couch and somehow move from the topic of food and wine to art and Mingyu can’t remember the last time he clicked with someone so quickly and so well. They’re on the same wavelength and Mingyu loves the back and forth they can comfortably get into after just a few hours of knowing each other. In a way, Minghao is everything Soonyoung has promised and more.

When Seungkwan comes home that evening, Minghao and Mingyu are still talking and somehow, five hours have passed since he arrived. Trailing behind Seungkwan is Soonyoung, a hesitant smile on his face and hands buried deep into his pockets. Once he spots the two of them closely next to each other on the couch, his face lights up in a triumphant grin. “I knew you two would like each other!” he lets out, clapping his hands in excitement. “I called it!”

Seungkwan ignores Soonyoung’s antics and walks over to Minghao. “Nice to meet you. I’m Seungkwan, the other roommate.”

“Nice to meet you too, “ Minghao returns the greeting with a friendly smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you already.”

Immediately, Seungkwan whips his head around to stare at Soonyoung. There’s still a wide grin on his face, so when he raises his hands in surrender it doesn’t really have the desired effect. “Just good things! And maybe one or two embarrassing stories.”

Seungkwan starts squinting a bit, eyeing Soonyoung carefully but his tone stays playful when he replies. “Just admit that you’re obsessed with me.”

“That’s true, “ Minghao confirms from the couch. “He’s also shown me his imitation of you. Can’t yet tell how accurate it actually is.”

Of course, Soonyoung is just laughing loudly about it, obviously enjoying the growing anger in Seungkwan’s expression. Mingyu knows that expression all too well, so he quickly gets up from the couch and puts an arm around his shoulders.

Instead of lunging towards Soonyoung, Seungkwan now turns to Minghao. “It’s very inaccurate. I’m not like that at all.” Along to his words, he starts moving around his hands a bit, a subconscious habit. “It’s not even an exaggeration of how I am, it’s just plain up wrong.”

Behind Seungkwan’s back, Soonyoung shakes his head and starts mimicking his movements and even badly lip-syncs to his words. As always when he imitates Seungkwan, he starts bobbing around obnoxiously. It takes Mingyu all his self-control not to break out into laughter at it. Judging from Minghao’s strained expression and tightly pressed together lips, he’s having the same internal fight right now.

When Seungkwan turns around again, Soonyoung immediately stops moving and blinks innocently at him. Obviously, that doesn’t fool Seungkwan, so Mingyu decides that Soonyoung’s brought it upon himself and unleashes the storm in his arms, letting go of Seungkwan’s shoulder and instead sitting down next to Minghao again.

“It’s always like this, “ he tells him in as close to a conspiratorial whisper as he can get. “Trust me, I feel like they had this exact same fight a few weeks ago.”

Minghao laughs, throwing his head back a bit. “Soonyoung’s warned me about it, kind of. I honestly can’t wait to meet the rest of the group.”

“You will soon, “ Mingyu says. It’s Sunday, so there’s still a bit of time left till they all gather for dinner together. There’s no way he’s not meeting all of them individually before that – Seungcheol probably in less than an hour when he comes around to spend the evening with them – but Mingyu still feels like his first introduction to the group should be properly celebrated. After all, they waited to meet Minghao for an eternity. “You know what, we should throw you a welcome party this Friday.”

“YES!” Soonyoung seems to have overheard the comment, immediately forgetting about his fight with Seungkwan. His eyes are shining with excitement. “Let’s get Korean BBQ and then hit the clubs.”

Phone in his hands, Seungkwan gets to work, already in full planning mode. “I’m texting the group chat right now. Do they even know Minghao is here? I can reserve us a table at our favourite beef place. Or we just buy beef, grill it here and have our pregame in the apartment. What about Karaoke? We could also do that. What do you prefer?” He finally looks up, expectantly looking at Minghao for an answer.

Minghao looks entirely overwhelmed by it all. “I really don’t need a party. Something chill is fine.”

That is obviously not the answer Seungkwan wanted to hear so he just ignores the comment and turns to Soonyoung. “What do you think? Table at a restaurant or eat here?”

While the two of them start discussing the advantages of all their options, Mingyu puts a hand on Minghao’s arm. “If you don’t want this, I can stop it at any time.”

“It’s okay, “ Minghao says with a small smile. “I don’t mind a little celebration but just… make sure they don’t go overboard with it.”

That’s how Mingyu spends the rest of the week trying to keep Seungkwan from going too crazy with the party and spending most of his free time with Minghao. It’s comfortable and Minghao fits perfectly into Mingyu’s life just like he’s always been there. Mingyu shows him around the area (which ends in in an impromptu photoshoot), they go shopping together and actually end up buying a new bed for the empty room. In the evenings, they eat dinner in front of the TV with Seungkwan and sometimes Seungcheol and then they find themselves on the floor of Minghao’s room and drink wine together while listening to jazz music.

He’s in that very position Thursday night, a half full wine glass in his hand sitting in the dark with just a fairy light on with Minghao opposite of him, excitedly telling him a story from his childhood in China. Mingyu finds himself smiling just from listening to him and for a moment, he wonders if maybe he can see himself developing romantic feelings for Minghao.

It shouldn’t be hard to fall in love with Xu Minghao, not after a few glasses of wine, not with the gentle background noise of Ella Fitzgerald singing about falling in love, not with the soft glow from the fairy lights illuminating Minghao’s face. Mingyu wonders if maybe he wants to kiss Minghao right now and he can imagine it, he can see it in front of his eyes.

It shouldn’t be hard to fall in love with Xu Minghao, not when they understand each other this deeply after just a few days of knowing each other, not when they can bicker like they’ve been married for 10 years, not when Minghao has the same passion inside of him as Mingyu. Mingyu wonders if maybe he wants to connect on a different level with Minghao and he can imagine it, can picture what it would be like.

It shouldn’t be hard to fall in love with Xu Minghao, not when he looks like this, not when he’s sensually moving his body along to the music, not when he’s so endearingly attentive to everything Mingyu says. Mingyu wonders if he wants to be around Minghao all the time and he can imagine it, he can see them living at the beach together and maybe raising a dog.

It should be so easy, come so naturally to Mingyu. But even though he tries to picture it all, has a whole romcom running through his mind right now that ends with them slow-dancing on a yacht… Mingyu’s heart stays quiet and so the movie of his imagination ends on a purely platonic note. Minghao and Mingyu, that’s not something this universe holds in store for them.

It strikes Mingyu the next day what the universe actually holds in store for Minghao. He likes wine, fancy dinners, sophisticated conversations and romantic moments - which is exactly the type of person he’s imagined for his next matchmaking project: Joshua.

Once it’s in his head, he can’t let go of the idea, so he pays close attention to them during their first meeting at Minghao’s welcome party (for which they settled on going to the BBQ place). It doesn’t escape his attention how Joshua confidently introduces himself to Minghao and says something that makes Minghao blush. It might be too early to tell if there’s actual chemistry between them but it’s the subtle way Minghao leans into Joshua and a friendly hand that lingers on Minghao’s arm for a second too long that makes him suspect that there’s at least initial attraction between them.

“What do you think of Minghao?” Mingyu inquires during dinner. With a quick glance, he makes sure that tonight’s special guest is sufficiently distracted by Jun and finds that the two of them are still animatedly talking to each other in Chinese. 

Joshua gives him a friendly smile, then he looks over the table as well. “He’s really cool. I finally understand why Soonyoung loves him so much.”

That’s exactly the same way Mingyu feels. Not even a week has passed since Soonyoung dropped Minghao off at his apartment but it might as well have been years ago. Minghao’s carved himself a comfortable place in Mingyu’s life and his heart already. “Is it weird that it’s like I’ve known him forever?”

“Not at all, “ Joshua puts a hand on Mingyu’s shoulder, but his eyes are still on Minghao and Jun. “Honestly, it feels like he’s always been a part of us, he fits in so naturally.”

“I mean. with all the stories we’ve heard about him, he somehow has been part of us as long as Soonyoung. But honestly, up until the day he showed up on our doorstep, he kind of felt like a fictional character to me.”

“You got a point here.” Joshua chuckles slightly but then his face grows sad. “Do you think he’ll go back to being just a character in Soonyoung’s stories when he leaves again?”

Mingyu avoids thinking about the fact that Minghao hasn’t permanently moved to Seoul but is only here to visit. A month, that’s what he said when Mingyu asked him how long he was going to stay - which would mean a quarter of his time here has already passed by. “Hopefully, he’ll come visit more often from now on.”

“Yeah, I’d like to have more time to get to know him.” Joshua smiles again, still looking over the table. It’s soft and promising, exactly what Mingyu wanted to hear from him tonight.

This is it. Minghao and Joshua – a match made in the heavens of Mingyu’s mind. They definitely have some things in common and they seem to have some sort of interest in each other. That’s enough for Mingyu to know that they would make a great couple. Now all he needs to do is help them get to know each other better and realize that as well.

For the rest of the evening, Mingyu tries to think up ways on how to get his targets closer to each other. First, he spends some more time praising Minghao to Joshua, telling him about his art and some anecdotes from their past few dates. Later, he finds an opening to start a conversation with the two of them. When they are all dragging out their goodbyes in front of the restaurant at the end of the night, he watches with pleasure as Minghao lingers at Seokmin and Joshua. 

It’s nothing much yet, of course, but Mingyu’s happy that his subtle efforts are already paying off.

However subtle Mingyu thought it was, Seungcheol catches on to it.

When everyone else is caught up in some conversation, he sneaks up to him from behind and leans close to his ears. “So what’s the deal with you and Minghao?”

Everyone else would say that Jeonghan’s the most observant person in their friend group. There’s nothing that goes past him and he’s scarily fast at picking out lies and secrets. But if you asked Mingyu, he would say Seungcheol is the most observant person around him. He remembers things Mingyu only mentions in passing, is familiar with all his little mannerisms and always knows when Mingyu’s up to something.

“I’m just making a new friend, that’s all, “ Mingyu tries to play it off, turning around so he can face Seungcheol.

“Sure that it’s just a friend?” he says, raising an eyebrow. There’s something undecipherable on his face, which is weird because he usually wears his emotions in plain sight on his face, right where Mingyu can read them.

It takes him a moment to get what Seungcheol is trying to hint at. “Just a friend. I have purely platonic interests in him for myself.”

Seungcheol immediately lights up, a knowing smirk appearing on his face. “So he’s your next matchmaking project? Wait, let me guess – Minghao and Joshua? Is that why you’re staring at them so intensely?”

They both look over to them at the same time. Minghao is currently talking, looking a bit flustered while both Seokmin and Joshua laugh at him. There’s a bright grin on his face though and it makes Mingyu soft to see his new friend so happy and comfortable.

“Don’t tell me it’s a bad idea because I think this time, I am actually onto something. They’d be cute, don’t you think?”

“You’re not onto anything.” Seungcheol shakes his head, looking back at Mingyu. “They’ll turn out to be good friends like Jihoon and Wonwoo and Joshua will turn out to have feelings for… I don’t know, Seungkwan for all I can guess.”

“This time is different, “ he argues. “I think in a different universe, one where Jihoon and Chan never met, Jihoon and Wonwoo would have been a great couple. And I think in this universe, Joshua and Minghao will make a great couple.”

Seungcheol laughs loudly at that, throwing his head back. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am!” Mingyu crosses his arms over his chest. “You know, I have a few things planned for Joshua and Minghao. Just wait and see, soon they’ll be going on a date and then announce they are boyfriends and then Seungkwan’s going to kill me for being responsible for yet another couple in our friend group.”

“He’s barely tolerating the two we have but I can’t hold it against him. Jihoon and Chan are just… a mystery to me. I mean, I knew they wouldn’t be one of those lovey-dovey couples or as disgusting as Soonyoung and Jeonghan but I think I would’ve preferred that to their teasing and fighting. Can’t we just have one normal couple in our friend group?”

“Minghao and Joshua would be a very tolerable couple. They both don’t seem to be big on PDA so it won’t make any difference that they are dating.” Mingyu smiles when he thinks about it. “It’s gonna be great.”

Seungcheol laughs again at that. “I can’t wait for that to happen. Literally can’t, because it’s never going to happen.”

How and why Seungcheol is so convinced that Minghao and Joshua won’t work out, especially after they just got to know each other today, is a complete mystery to Mingyu. To him, it’s very obvious that there’s potential for something more between them. “Just wait and see.”

“You wait and see.” Seungcheol gives him a little shove. “Now go collect Minghao because I wanna go home. I’ll get Seungkwan.”

It’s only the Saturday a week after that Mingyu actually gets into action. Before that, he just casually brings up Joshua in conversations with Minghao and tries to make them talk at Friday night dinner. But then, a perfect opportunity presents itself to him.

“Let’s go, “ Mingyu says when he locks the apartment door behind them. “I hope you don’t mind, but I have to drop by at Joshua’s real quick and bring him his phone charger he forgot here yesterday.” It might be possible that Mingyu hid the charger last night and made sure to keep Joshua distracted when he was packing his things but that’s not something anyone can actually prove so he’s never going to admit it.

Today, he’s going to get brunch with Minghao and he’s going to casually invite Joshua along once they’re at his apartment and if things go well, he’s going to sneakily come up with a reason to leave again. He’s pretty proud of the whole plan he came up with on a whim when he saw Joshua’s charger abandoned at a socket in their living room yesterday.

“That’s fine, “ Minghao says kindly and so they get into the car and drive over to Joshua’s apartment.

There’s one factor Mingyu’s entirely forgotten to calculate in his planning and it goes by the name Lee Seokmin and has the sunniest smile he’s ever seen. It’s that very smile that greets him at Joshua’s apartment door. “Oh, you’re here to drop by the charger, right? You can just give it to me, Joshua’s still in the shower.”

That’s not how Mingyu wanted things to go. But of course, Seokmin often sleeps over at Joshua’s after their dinners because he doesn’t want to go back to campus at night on his own. “Oh.” Then, slowly, he starts looking for the charger in his bag, trying to spare some time to think for himself. How is he going to save the romantic brunch date he’s planned for Joshua and Minghao?

To his surprise, it’s Minghao that does the saving. “Are you guys hungry? We are on our way to get brunch and maybe you two want to tag along.” Minghao has his hands in his pockets and a polite smile on his face, looking right into Seokmin’s eyes at that.

Seokmin seems just as surprised by the request as Mingyu. His smile falters for a moment and is replaced by a look of shock, then it returns again, maybe even a tad brighter than before. “I’m gonna ask Joshua, we actually kind of had plans today…”

Right then, Joshua shows up behind him and slaps his hand on Seokmin’s shoulder. “We can just go shopping after brunch, “ he says and then smiles at Minghao. “We’d love to come along.”

Mingyu acts like he finally managed to grab hold of the charger and pushes it into Joshua’s direction. He’s pleasantly surprised by how well the situation played out without him actually having to do anything. “Nice. Then let’s go if you’re ready.”

That’s how Mingyu finds himself at a small table in his favourite café with Joshua, Seokmin and Minghao. It’s a bit of an awkward combination to eat brunch with and definitely not the romantic brunch he’s hoped for. Instead of him third-wheeling, he’s now part of a platonic four-wheeler, two very different settings. But Mingyu’s determined to make it work out in his favour somehow.

If that means he has to keep Seokmin distracted while simultaneously making sure that the conversation between Minghao and Joshua is flowing well, so be it. Mingyu’s ready to do whatever it takes for a successful match.

So he opens up the topic of food and once Minghao and Joshua are both decently involved, he asks Seokmin separately about the musical he’s starring in right now. It works out fine in the beginning, Mingyu gets to talk to one of his best friends and Minghao and Joshua seem to get along well besides them.

Listening to Seokmin talk is always easy, always pleasant. He has a nice voice and knows how to tell things in a both entertaining and endearing way. Right now, he’s telling a story from one of his mistakes during their first rehearsal that makes Mingyu laugh out loud. Seokmin’s grinning widely while talking and laughing a bit in between words and it makes Mingyu feel so warm and full of love for his friend that he doesn’t even notice that he stopped paying attention to his matchmaking project sitting at the table with them.

He only realizes that the conversation between them died in favour of listening to Seokmin when Minghao comments on the story. “That’s really cute.” He’s smiling brightly and giggling a bit and it’s adorable, a new side to Minghao Mingyu hasn’t seen yet.

Seokmin blushes a little and looks down. “That’s what the director said as well.”

“It’s an undeniable truth, “ Minghao says but his ears also turn red when he looks at Seokmin. “But to be honest, I think very little people can pull off a convincing-looking sword fight while singing.”

“Yeah, it’s hard, “ Seokmin admits. “I just hope I don’t mess up during one of the performances.”

“Even if you fuck up, it’s okay, “ Joshua says, putting a reassuring hand on Seokmin’s and it’s clear that they’ve been over this before. “Remember, the audience probably won’t even notice and you just have to keep going.”

“I get the desire to put on a perfect performance, “ Minghao adds, his voice soft and understanding. “When I prepare for my dance recitals, I always obsess over little details and afterwards, I think about my mistakes over and over again. You probably feel the same way about your musical, right?”

Seokmin nods. “I tend to get insecure. Jeonghan says I’m just too damn self-critical all the time. But I just… I just don’t want to let anyone down, not even myself.”

“Sometimes, it helps me to remind myself that I got to where I am for a reason. You got the role in the musical because you’re talented and you can definitely pull it off. And when you make a mistake, don’t feel too disappointed in yourself. In the end, a mistake is just more space for growth and growth is like… the most beautiful thing in the world for me.” Minghao gives Seokmin a warm smile before he seems to realize how much he just said. “Sorry, that was probably… too much.”

Seokmin smiles back. “No, it wasn’t. It was just what I needed to hear, thank you so much.”

After that, Minghao and Seokmin start talking about the pleasures of performing, bonding over their passion for their respective choice of art. It leaves Mingyu a bit dumbfounded to watch the blossoming friendship in front of his eyes when he’s actually here to kick off a romance.

For the rest of the brunch, he just goes along with the mood and doesn’t try to start something else. He’s pleased to see that Joshua and Minghao are sitting pretty closely next to each other and occasionally talking, even if it’s only in a group setting. It’s not the turning point of a brunch Mingyu intended it to be but he’s going to take what he can get.

It’s Saturday evening and they are sprawled out all over the living room floor for a movie marathon. Which basically means they are all talking over each other but there’s a shitty movie as background noise and every once in a while someone will point out something that happens on screen or say that they have no idea what’s going on. Eventually, the movie’s turned off because no one cares anyways.

Mingyu’s cuddled up on the couch with Wonwoo, his eyes carefully directed at the floor where Minghao and Joshua are lying next to each other. For some reason, they are the two only people in the room actually paying attention to the movie. Seungkwan and Seokmin are messing around on the floor next to them and Seungcheol and Jeonghan are deep in conversation on the other end of the couch.

“Vernon’s asked me to go eat with him tomorrow, “ Wonwoo says, holding up his phone screen so Mingyu can see the message. “I kind of turned him down a few times after what you told me. I don’t want to… lead him on or anything when I’m not sure how I feel.”

Mingyu looks at the message and the plain and straightforward way Vernon asked his question. “Maybe you should honestly talk to him about it. Tell him where you’re standing.”

“I wish it was that easy, but I just… I just really don’t know where I’m standing. I’m lost, “ Wonwoo says with a sigh, looking dejected.

“Hmm, then I think it’s best if you take your time to figure that out first.”

Wonwoo nods, already starting to type on his phone again. “You’re right. I’ll just tell him I’m busy.”

Mingyu shrugs. He’d probably say more about it if they were in a different setting right now, but his entire attention is focused on Minghao and Joshua, lying perfectly still next to each other. On one hand, it pleases Mingyu because it shows their similarities and that they are interested in the same things. On the other hand, it’s incredibly frustrating because they can’t get to know each other like that. He needs to turn off this damn movie so they start talking to each other and stop watching.

“Is anyone actually watching?” he asks loudly into the room to catch the group’s attention, already grabbing the remote. He doesn’t wait for an answer but turns off the TV and promptly receives loud complaints from Joshua.

According to Mingyu’s calculation, now that there’s no movie to distract them anymore, they should strike up a conversation or maybe bond over their new shared enemy Mingyu. However, instead of doing that, Minghao gets up from the floor and walks over to Seokmin and Seungkwan while Joshua comes over to Wonwoo and Mingyu.

“You know, Minghao and I were actually watching that.”

“Sorry, the tearjerker soundtrack was kind of ruining my mood, “ Mingyu says with a cheeky grin. “If you two want to watch the movie, I can give you my Netflix password.” In his mind, he’s already imagining a movie night between just Joshua and Minghao. Cute. “Or you can just come over another day and finish it with him here.”

Joshua just shakes his head. “It’s fine, I’m sure I can find it somewhere.” With that, he sits down next to Wonwoo and asks him about his thoughts on the movie’s animations.

So, that didn’t quite play out like Mingyu wanted it to. He can’t help be a bit disappointed. Maybe he should’ve turned the movie off earlier…

His thoughts are interrupted by a 25-year-old child that starts nudging him with his feet. He looks over to see Seungcheol grinning at him as he kicks against Mingyu’s legs. Mingyu just lets out a sigh and tries to stare Seungcheol down, but he doesn’t look away and keeps on kicking.

“Can you stop?” he asks, trying to push his feet away.

Seungcheol just laughs in joy. “No.” Contrary to his words, he does stop and moves down the couch to sit next to Mingyu, leaning close to him to whisper into his ears. “You know, that was a stupid idea. Not that I think that the two of them are going to work out either way, but they were watching the movie together, lying really close to each other. They were like… having a moment.”

“That wasn’t a moment! They were silently watching a movie, “ Mingyu protests, trying to keep his voice down. “I wanted them to talk with each other.”

“Worked well, I’d say.” Seungcheol looks pointedly to where Minghao is laughing with Seokmin and then to Joshua and Wonwoo. “Really, if all your genius matchmaking plans are like this… you won’t have much success, ever. Even if you have another lucky guess like Soonyoung and Jeonghan.”

“I mean, not all my plans work out, but I think the ideas are good. Last week, I had this elaborate scheme to get them to eat together.” He retells the brunch incident in detail and how Seokmin’s presence ruined his perfectly fine idea that he is still very proud of.

Seungcheol just laughs about it. “And you thought that would lead to anything?”

Mingyu pouts, offended that apparently his plan sounds so ridiculous to Seungcheol. “Of course, why not? I just want to get them to spend time together.”

“Well, you’re really bad at doing it, “ Seungcheol says, sounding way too amused by Mingyu’s failure. “If you would’ve let them finish the movie, they might have started talking about it afterwards. But you interrupted the natural flow of things and now look at what happened.”

“I didn’t interrupt anything, I’m only giving things a push. Sometimes, love needs a little push.”

“Hmm, “ Seungcheol leans back, a thoughtful expression on his face. “You think so?”

Mingyu nods eagerly, happy to see that Seungcheol’s considering his thoughts for once. “You know, people might need a push to realize what they’re feeling or to realize that their feelings are worth going after.”

“Interesting. Honestly, I always kind of believed that love just happens and finds its own way if we let it.” Seungcheol leans closer to Mingyu again, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But if you need a little push…”

Something flashes over his face, another undecipherable expression. Then Seungcheol grins and pushes him, enough to make him fall into Wonwoo.

“What was that for?” Mingyu doesn’t entirely understand what just happened, so he just focuses on what he does understand and that is that Seungcheol is being annoying again.

He shrugs. “Thought I’d try.”

“You’re ridiculous.” As revenge, Mingyu tries to push him off the couch but with no success. Seungcheol is stronger than him and barely sways, only to attack Mingyu right back.

It spirals into a full on fight from there. They’re both laughing brightly while they are wrestling, trying to make the other fall off first. It doesn’t take long until one of Seungcheol’s shoves is strong enough to destroy the little balance Mingyu has. He tries to grab onto Seungcheol to keep himself on the couch but it doesn’t work. 

Instead, Seungcheol falls down with him. For a moment, they are a bundle of tangled limbs until he pushes Mingyu over so he’s lying flat on his back, Seungcheol right on top of him.

Mingyu feels breathless – maybe because of all the fighting and laughing or the fact that Seungcheol’s complete body weight is currently weighing down on him. But maybe it’s because of the way Seungcheol is looking at him, the grin slowly fading from his face replaced by something more intense, something more serious.

For a moment, Mingyu can do nothing but stare right at Seungcheol.

But then the noises of the living room come crashing back in and someone kicks Mingyu’s legs. “Can you two do whatever you’re doing right now when we don’t have guests over?” Seungkwan asks, towering over them.

Quickly, Mingyu pushes Seungcheol off him and gets up, trying to ignore the way his heart is beating loudly in his ears. “He started it, “ he tells Seungkwan, pointing at the now whining guy on the living room floor. “It’s not my fault.”

“I honestly couldn’t care less, “ Seungkwan says, shaking his head at them and walking away.

Mingyu glances back at Seungcheol on the floor. He’s pouting a bit and extending his hand up to him so he’ll help him get up. But Mingyu’s still feeling weirdly lightheaded and hot from their fight, so he just steps over him and flees to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

When he returns back to the living room, the first thing he spots is Joshua talking to Minghao. It’s enough to make him forget all about what just happened and concentrate on the things that really matter: getting his friends together.

Next step in Mingyu’s grand master plan that he is literally making up as he goes is Seokmin’s musical. He’s planned on going with Joshua and Seungcheol right after Seokmin got casted, so he decided to invite Minghao too, making sure to mention that Joshua is coming along. Then he went ahead and bought four seats, but instead of buying four seats next to each other, he bought seats that are conveniently separated by the staircase. Of course, if anyone calls him out on it, it was all entirely the fault of the ticket selling website.

“Joshua texted me that he’s waiting by the wardrobe, “ Minghao says when they walk into the theatre building together. With his elegant outfit consisting of a beige coat, black pants and fancy shoes, he’s a bit more dressed up than usual and looks like straight out of a fashion magazine. Secretly, Mingyu suspects that he’s trying to impress a certain someone with that outfit and he’s pretty sure it’s going to work because Minghao looks incredible.

He also smiles at the fact that Joshua texted that to Minghao instead of him or Seungcheol. That’s a sign they text regularly and honestly, more than Mingyu would have expected this early on.

Once they finally find Joshua and are theoretically ready to go in, Minghao announces that he wants to go to the toilet before the performance starts. Mingyu takes one look at the line in front of the bathroom and the four tickets in his hands. The universe is handing him an opportunity on a silver platter and he’s not afraid to make use of it.

“Then you two go to the toilet, Seungcheol and I will go ahead, “ he says to Joshua and Minghao, pushing tickets of two seats next to each other into their hands. After that, he grabs Seungcheol and pulls him away before anyone can question his behaviour.

“But I need to – “ Seungcheol starts to protest but gives up when he notices that Mingyu doesn’t care because he’s a man on a mission.

He only stops when they are standing in front of their seats. “Here we go!” he says, sitting down in the seat one down from the aisles seat, pulling Seungcheol down on the seat next to him.

“Um… where are Minghao and Joshua sitting?” he asks, looking at the girl in the seat next to Mingyu’s. “Are they… not sitting with us?”

“Seems like the stairs messed it up, they are sitting in seat 11 and 12, “ Mingyu says, nodding over the aisles to the empty seats of their friends. “Sucks.”

Of course, Seungcheol immediately gets that it’s not an accident, but he only shakes his head a bit at Mingyu. “You’re ridiculous.”

Minghao and Joshua look a bit surprised when they see that they aren’t sitting with them but they don’t complain when they sit down. To Mingyu’s pleasure, the conversation between them seems to be flowing well.

“So now it’s just the two of them! Like a date, “ Mingyu whispers to Seungcheol, leaning closer to him.

Seungcheol laughs and wiggles his finger between them. “So you and me sitting here is also like a date?”

“Don’t be stupid, “ Mingyu scoffs.

“Our first date… a double date with our two friends who are definitely not dating and will never date that you forced to sit next to each other…” Seungcheol puts a hand on Mingyu’s arm and blinks up at him. “Honestly, I kind of thought you’d think of something a bit more romantic. But I guess you just have no sense of romance in your giant body.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes at him. “Please, I’m an expert at anything related to romance.” Of course he knows that the perfect first date with Seungcheol should be something more special, at a place where you get to talk and play around with each other. Mingyu can see the two of them sitting on swings on a playground at night, out of breath and softly smiling at each other, which feels exactly like the type of romantic Seungcheol would want.

Judging by his heart beating a bit faster, it’s also the type of romantic Mingyu wants. Not with Seungcheol, obviously.

“Sure…” Seungcheol moves a bit closer to him, pushing his face right in front of Mingyu’s. “Is that why you’re so bad at matchmaking?”

The non-existent distance between them gives Mingyu a weird feeling in his stomach just like when they were wrestling last week, so he pushes Seungcheol away. “Just wait, I’ll prove you wrong eventually. This is actually going to work out, I’m sure of it.”

Grinning widely, Seungcheol leans back into his seat as well. “I highly doubt that but damn, do I hope so. Then I won’t have to suffer all evening for nothing.”

“Suffer?” Mingyu repeats and squints at him. “Personally, I think that sitting next to me is a privilege and you should feel honoured.”

“I don’t mind sitting with you but I do mind having to sit next to your annoying dumbass when I really need to pee.”

“Oh.” Mingyu pats his shoulder in fake sympathy. “You should’ve gone earlier.”

“I wanted to! But _someone_ wouldn’t let me.” He’s giving him a deathly glare but his lips are pulled into a pout so he looks very unthreatening, just extremely cute. 

“It’s for a good cause. I’m sure you can hold it in for a bit to make two of your friends very happy.”

Seungcheol rolls his eyes. “If I have to go during the show and miss just a second of Seokmin’s performances, I’ll literally kill you.”

Mingyu grins. “I’m ready to make some sacrifices for the sake of love.”

They fall into silence when the lights go out, their entire attention turning to the stage. The musical is amazing and Mingyu’s absolutely in awe of Seokmin. There’s powerful moments that make Mingyu so damn proud of Seokmin and his character, there’s soft and emotional moments that make him shed a tear and there’s beautiful moments that make his heart sing with happiness. It’s an emotional ride and even though this is the person that Mingyu cuddles up to during game nights and that makes dumb faces at him across the dinner table, Mingyu forgets that this is his friend, the very reason he’s here. On stage, he’s just a prince trying to break free from his destiny.

Of course, during the ending he and Seungcheol are the ones to scream Seokmin’s name the loudest, ripping their lungs out to show their appreciation for the boy. And then the curtain closes and the two are left behind with their emotions, launching straight into a conversation on how much they loved it.

Once the audience has mostly cleared out and Mingyu had a second to take it all in, the four of them go backstage to greet the star of the night. When he spots him, still dressed in his stage clothes, Mingyu immediately runs over to hug Seokmin.

“That was insane. You were so good, “ he mumbles into their hug, holding Seokmin tight. “Like damn, you made me cry with your stupid angelic voice and perfect acting…”

Seokmin laughs brightly. His face is glowing from happiness and it’s the most beautiful sight, warming Mingyu’s heart immediately. “Thank you. And thank you for coming, it really means a lot to me.”

“Of course! I’d be a fool to miss your big performance.” Mingyu smiles at him, love and pride swelling in his chest.

They decide to get dinner together and they all take turns praising Seokmin and the musical overall. Minghao seems to have absolutely loved it because he’s very wordy in his appreciation, which is rather unusual for him. He points out little details in Seokmin’s performance he caught and it makes Seokmin blush and look away shyly whenever Minghao compliments him. When Seokmin brings up a mistake he made on stage, Minghao is the first one to comfort and encourage him that it didn’t take away from his performance at all.

At one point, Seungcheol hits Mingyu with his elbow, subtly trying to nod his head at Seokmin and Minghao. Mingyu just smiles at him because he, too, finds it nice that the two are getting along so well. It makes Mingyu think that maybe the three of them should hang out together soon, they’re all the same age after all.

Then he focuses his attention back on Joshua and Minghao, spending the rest of the evening analysing their interactions with each other.

A few days later, Minghao and Mingyu are alone in the apartment, watching a romance movie Mingyu’s picked, already on their second bottle of wine.

“Do you think that people can actually fall in love that quickly?” Minghao suddenly asks, the question hitting Mingyu out of nowhere. He must be talking about the movie, where the male lead is currently confessing his feelings to the female lead after only knowing her for a week. Somehow, Mingyu isn’t sure if it’s wishful thinking or reality, it feels like he’s not just asking because of the movie, he’s too eager to hear Mingyu’s thoughts. This is about Joshua, it has to be. It’s only been three weeks since they first met after all.

“I think we all fall in love at our own pace. If you’re sure about your feelings, I think it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to develop them, if it takes years or just a few hours. So yeah, sure, why not fall in love in a week?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait to confess your feelings though?” Minghao says, leaning closer to Mingyu.

He shakes his head. “Depends on the situation, but I don’t think he should’ve waited. I think he already sensed that she returns his feelings because of the way she looks at him and acts around him, you know? Anyways, it’s not like you have to immediately confess your undying love and propose to them. You can just ask the other person out on a date. Why waste any time?”

Minghao nods thoughtfully at his words. “That makes sense.” Then he goes quiet for a while, looking down onto his hands instead of paying attention to the movie.

Mingyu smiles into his wine glass. He’s optimistic that Joshua won’t turn Minghao down if he goes through with it and asks him out. The sweet feeling of success is already lying on Mingyu’s tongue and he absolutely loves it.

The day of the date arrives sooner than expected, just the weekend after the musical. It’s not that Minghao directly tells Mingyu about it, but he notices that Minghao spends even more time than usual in the bathroom to get ready. Then he keeps on changing outfits and walking over to the full-length mirror in Seungkwan’s room because his doesn’t have one. He seems a bit nervous as well and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s going on a date.

So Mingyu is more than happy to open the door when someone knocks at it while Minghao’s still in his bedroom getting dressed. He’s very prepared to be greeted by Joshua, always the gentleman coming to pick Minghao up for their date.

When he opens the door, there’s another familiar face nervously smiling at him though.

 **_~~minghao & joshua~~  
_ ** **_minghao & seokmin_ **

“Um… I’m here to pick up Minghao, “ Seokmin says, blushing a little and not quite meeting Mingyu’s eyes.

Even in his shock, Mingyu has to admit that Seokmin looks very handsome today, wearing a dark blue and black striped shirt and tight jeans. Most striking however is the excited smile on his lips and the sparkle in his eyes.

It takes Mingyu a moment to process what is going on. Either Joshua is being really weird and sent his best friend to pick up his date or Minghao was not talking about Joshua when they were watching the movie. Mingyu thinks about the last three weeks, Minghao’s welcome party, the brunch, the musical…

Then he thinks about Seungcheol pointing at Minghao and Seokmin during dinner and almost curses when he realizes that this is what he was trying to tell him about. Yet again, he was right about things.

It takes him a moment to remember that he’s supposed to say something in this situation, Seokmin looking expectantly at him. “Uh… he’s still … getting ready…”

“Oh, okay.” Seokmin lets out a high-pitched chuckle, obviously nervous. “I guess I’m a bit early.”

“No, I’m ready!” Minghao yells from behind Mingyu, pushing past him to greet Seokmin. “Hi, “ he says sweetly, his eyes wandering over Seokmin’s whole appearance. “Um, wow. You look good.”

“Thanks. You do too.” Seokmin smiles widely at Minghao, taking in the deeply cut shirt and black jeans he’s wearing. “You’re so beautiful, “ he blurts out.

Minghao blushes a bit. “Thank you.”

While they shyly flirt some more with each other, Mingyu just awkwardly stands next to them. It’s taking him some time to try and wrap his head around the fact that he missed this when it’s so painfully obvious now.

“Let’s get going.” Seokmin waves goodbye at Mingyu, expectantly looking at Minghao.

Minghao leans over to him to say his own goodbye. “Thank you for the advice.”

Mingyu can’t say anything in return because they are already closing the door in front of Mingyu’s nose and leaving him to wonder where he went wrong.

Seokmin and Minghao are not the nice, PDA-free couple that Mingyu’s wanted for the group, but they are so adorable that no one actually minds. They are constantly cuddled up at each other’s sides, Seokmin sits on Minghao’s lap more often than on anything else. When Minghao says something funny, Seokmin pats the back of his head while laughing. Minghao reaches for Seokmin’s hand when they are walking and when they think no one is paying attention to them, they share soft kisses.

Mingyu notices though, and he also notices how soft they are around each other. With Minghao, Seokmin is usually a bit calmer and more grounded in the moment, but still as touchy and smiley as always. With Seokmin, Minghao gets all shy and sickeningly sweet with his affection but he also lights up from the inside. It’s nice to see how good they are for each other.

Even if it means he gets to spend less time with Minghao, because now he spends a lot more time with Seokmin. On the other hand, he gets to spend more time with Seokmin than ever before because he comes around to the apartment often and the couple doesn’t seem to mind hanging out with Mingyu sometimes. It’s always fun and they make sure not to make Mingyu feel excluded. Just like he’s predicted, the three of them get along really well together.

They all ignore the fact that Minghao was only supposed to stay for a month originally. One morning, he casually tells Mingyu that he’s applying for universities around here (HUA obviously being his number one choice) and Mingyu couldn’t be happier to welcome him as a permanent part of his life.

“I can’t believe Seokmin left our single losers club, “ Seungkwan says on Saturday morning. He’s cuddled up to Seungcheol on the couch, his feet resting in Mingyu’s laps. The day before, Seokmin and Minghao officially announced that they are boyfriends to everyone. Mingyu kind of expects him to launch into another speech about how left behind and betrayed he feels and how soon, Seokmin is going to elope with Minghao and never contact them again.

But even after all their years of friendship, Seungkwan still manages to surprise him sometimes. “I guess it’s a bit of a blessing that Minghao lives here because now I get to see Seokmin really often. I just hope they wait a bit before moving in together.”

“I hope so too but… do you think he’s going to keep living with us?” Mingyu looks to the closed door of Minghao’s room. Right now, the two of them are out on a date together. “I mean, Seokmin wanted to move out of the dorm after finals… and if Minghao stays here… either Seokmin’s moving here with him or they are moving somewhere else together, right?”

Seungkwan furrows his brows. “I don’t know what’s worse, living with a couple or losing the two of them when they move away…”

“You’re not losing them if they move in together, “ Seungcheol reasons. “Look at Jeonghan, he almost rivals me in how often he comes by.”

“That’s true.” Seungkwan’s pretty pleased with Jeonghan’s frequent visits, even though he still complains about it sometimes.

“How did you know?” Mingyu uses the lull in the conversation to turn to Seungcheol. “How did you know that the two of them would get together?” He’s been meaning to bring this up, but in the end, it’s not really his place to tell Seungcheol that Minghao and Seokmin are dating now, so he’s been waiting for their announcement to the group. Not everyone has the benefits of witnessing their relationship grow right in their own apartment.

Seungcheol just shrugs. “I don’t know, it was just the way they acted around each other. Plus, Jeonghan told me that he suspected it a while ago.”

That makes sense, Jeonghan always knows everything after all. Still, Mingyu is a bit disappointed that Seungcheol saw this coming when he didn’t, when he was too preoccupied with his perfect illusion of Minghao and Joshua. Joshua seems not at all bothered by the new couple, rather delighted to see them together, so Mingyu can be sure now that he was the only one who had any hopes for Joshua and Minghao happening.

So yeah, maybe his matchmaking skills are not as good as he thought they were, after all. “I think I’ll give matchmaking a break for now, “ he announces.

Seungcheol lights up with relief. “Finally.”

“Please never do it again. I think three couples in one friend group is plenty, “ Seungkwan says, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “No more meddling in our friend’s love lives.” He glares at Mingyu, giving him an obvious warning.

Mingyu just smiles. “Yeah, yeah. I won’t do any more meddling. If I don’t have a good reason to, that is.”

**_wonwoo & seungcheol_ **

It doesn’t take long until the universe presents him with a very good reason to do more meddling. It sends Mingyu a sign, one he only begins to understand after a series of moments occur.

The first time Mingyu gets a hint of what is going on is during the Choi’s company anniversary party. Just like every year, Seungkwan and Mingyu throw on their best suits and for one evening, they act like the rich and spoiled bachelors that they truly are. Which means that they get drunk at the open bar and entertain themselves with gossip and meaningless flirts.

As the company heir, Seungcheol has a few responsibilities when it comes to the event and can’t just fool around like Seungkwan and Mingyu. But whenever he gets a break from networking, he joins the two of them. It’s a tradition that every year, once Seungcheol’s completely free of his duties, they sneak out with a stolen bottle of whatever liquor they can grab and empty it under the judgement-free eyes of the moon.

This year, things go a little differently.

Seungkwan and Mingyu arrive fashionably late because Mingyu took a bit too long in the bathroom and Seungkwan stalled while getting dressed. In a way, this is also a part of the tradition because Seungkwan wants a “grand entrance” and they both really want to miss out on the formalities at the beginning of the event, rather skipping straight to the eating, drinking and dancing.

When they waltz into the room, it’s already packed. “We should’ve waited a bit longer, “ Seungkwan hisses when they walk down the stairs towards the scattered groups of people. “Or maybe we should come during the opening speech next time. That would be dramatic, right?”

“That would be embarrassing, “ Mingyu corrects. He’s not paying too much attention to his best friend’s babbling, focused on scanning the crowd for Seungcheol. It’s kind of hard to find one particular guy with dark hair in a suit because everyone here seems to look exactly like that. But then his eyes land on another familiar yet unexpected face in the crowd. 

Mingyu stops in the middle of the staircase, grabbing Seungkwan’s arm. “What’s Wonwoo doing here?”

Seungkwan immediately whips around looking for him, a bright smile spreading on his face when he spots him as well. “Wonwoo!” he yells loudly, even though they are obviously too far away for him to hear. “Oh my god, Vernon is with him. Let’s go say hi.”

He’s right, Mingyu hasn’t even noticed him but Vernon’s standing right next to Wonwoo. His presence at the party isn’t a surprise, he was there last year sharing a table with them. Seungkwan had already taken a liking to him then, so of course, he’s delighted to see him again this year.

Before Mingyu can even react, Seungkwan skips down the last few stairs and swiftly makes his way through the crowd towards their friends. For good measures, he calls their names a few more times, earning lots of turned heads and glares.

A lot less enthusiastic, Mingyu follows him. He’s trying to wrap his head around what Wonwoo’s appearance at this party means. Vernon hasn’t come up in his conversations with Wonwoo in weeks and it honestly slipped his mind that there was every anything going on between them. But now here they are, together. What happened?

“You’re late, “ he hears Vernon say right when he reaches the little group.

Seungkwan waves him off with a grin, acting as if he didn’t insist they come late on purpose. “Everyone else was early. We are right on time.”

“That’s not how it works, “ Wonwoo says with a chuckle. His eyes dart to Mingyu and he greets him with a nod and friendly smile. “Hey.”

Mingyu returns the greeting but it comes out half-heartedly. Then he pointedly looks between him and Vernon. “What are you doing here?” he asks.

“Seungcheol invited me, “ Wonwoo explains and it’s far from the answer Mingyu expected. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“Uh… no, “ Mingyu says, entirely taken aback. Why would Seungcheol invite Wonwoo here? That doesn’t make any sense. “I guess he forgot to mention it.”

“He said he wanted someone to talk to during the event. But he’s disappeared right after we arrived here.“ Wonwoo looks around, probably trying to catch sight of him.

That explanation only confuses Mingyu more. Seungcheol already has someone to talk to. Vernon is right here. Seungkwan is right here. Mingyu is right here. Why would he need Wonwoo around as well?

“He’s probably with his mother, “ Seungkwan says. “He’ll come to us later, let’s just get some drinks for now.”

The first half of the evening goes by uneventfully. Seungkwan and Mingyu go around greeting some acquaintances and making superficial small talk, interrupting their socialising with frequent trips to the bar. It feels just like every year and Mingyu almost forgets that Wonwoo is there at all. He also doesn’t pay too much attention to the fact that he hasn’t seen Seungcheol yet, even though he keeps looking for him.

“Oh, there’s Eunbi!” Seungkwan is already slightly tipsy, his cheeks coloured red and his voice even louder than usual. “I need to talk to her.” He says it urgently, as if it’s something important when Mingyu knows for a fact that he already greeted her earlier. Still, his best friend pushes his empty glass into his hand and disappears.

Mingyu rolls his eyes but there’s a smile on his face when he makes his way over to the bar to get rid of the now two empty glasses in his hands. Then he walks through the crowd, trying to find someone he knows.

And he does. He finally finds Seungcheol. For a moment, he just appreciates from afar how good his friend looks tonight: his black hair is styled up, revealing parts of his forehead, and the suit fits just perfectly around his body, accentuating his broad shoulders. Most noticeable, though, is the huge grin he’s wearing on his face. Mingyu can’t help but smile as well at the sight of it.

He’s just about to walk over when he sees who Seungcheol’s smile is directed at. Wonwoo is standing next to him, smiling right back. Mingyu stops walking and just watches their conversation for a while. He watches as Seungcheol leans closer, intimately close, and says something to Wonwoo. He watches as Wonwoo shyly looks to the floor in response. He watches as Seungcheol laughs, putting his hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder.

Since when are the two of them close? Seungcheol’s never seemed to like Wonwoo much and he can’t recall ever seeing them talk with each other during their dinners. Right now, they definitely don’t look like two people who barely interact though, they look like friends or maybe even more. 

Even though all Mingyu wanted to do earlier was talk to Seungcheol, now he can’t bring himself to walk over to them. It makes him feel a bit weird seeing him leaning onto Wonwoo like that. So, he turns around and looks for Seungkwan again.

It’s not hard to find a tipsy Seungkwan in a crowd of composed business people. Following the sound of laughter, Mingyu spots him within minutes. He’s currently dramatically telling a group of people, one of them being Eunbi, a story, using his hands to illustrate whatever he’s saying. Mingyu sneaks up on him and drapes his arm over his shoulder.

“I’m stealing him, “ he apologetically says to his little audience, then he pulls a protesting Seungkwan towards the bar.

“What are you doing?” Seungkwan asks, a mixture of irritation and concern on his face. “Did something happen?”

Mingyu doesn’t know how to answer that honestly. Nothing happened, right? “No, I’m just bored. Now let’s get another round of drinks.”

For a second, Seungkwan just looks at him with a sceptical expression on his face, but then he shrugs. “Okay. Let’s get drunk.”

“I wanna dance with somebody, “ Seungkwan announces after their third – or maybe fourth – round of drinks in the past hour or so. By the way he’s slurring his words together and giggling at himself, he’s decently drunk by now. “I wanna dance with somebody! I wanna feel the heat with somebody” he sings, his voice beautiful and loud enough to draw the attention of the people around them.

Before he can break out into yet another public Whitney Houston performance, Mingyu puts a hand on Seungkwan’s shoulder and guides him towards one of the nearby tables. “Maybe we should sit down for a bit.”

Obviously, Seungkwan doesn’t care too much about that, still dramatically singing. He only stops when he seems to spot a familiar face at a table, escaping from Mingyu’s grasp to walk over there. “Vernon!” he yells.

Only now does Mingyu see Vernon at the table they are heading for. He’s currently trying to throw parts of the table decoration in an empty glass, taking turns with Wonwoo who’s sitting next to him. They honestly look like little children, quietly cheering and high-fiving whenever one of them actually hits the glass.

Mingyu’s relieved that Seungcheol isn’t there with them.

Once Seungkwan reaches the table, he extends his hand towards Vernon. “Dance with me.”

Vernon looks up in surprise, then he casts a glance at Wonwoo who just shrugs at him. “Uh, I don’t really…” he starts, but Seungkwan is already grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the dance floor. He gives Wonwoo an apologetic glance before they disappear out of their line of sight.

“Sorry that he stole Vernon away from you, “ Mingyu jokes as he sits down on the now empty spot next to Wonwoo. “Seungkwan gets really… hyped up when he drinks.”

“I don’t mind.” Wonwoo is still playing around with the decoration in his hand. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”

Mingyu gives him a bright smile and puts a hand on his arm. “Of course! Wouldn’t want you to sit around all alone. Are you having fun?”

“Uh… kind of? Everything’s so fancy here. But I ran into some people I know from my internship, so that’s really cool.”

Right. Mingyu almost forgot about Wonwoo’s summer internship at the company. Maybe that’s the reason Seungcheol invited him here, so that he can catch up with the people he knows and see the more glamorous side of things. “Yeah, must’ve been nice to see everyone again.”

There’s a moment of silence between them as Mingyu contemplates on how to bring up what he’s really curious about. Then he just decides to go for it because he’s found that Wonwoo likes to come straight to the point of things. “What about you and… Vernon?”

Wonwoo looks down at the table, avoiding Mingyu’s eyes. His hands stop fidgeting with the decorations, his whole body freezing. “I didn’t know he would be here.”

“How are things between the two of you?” Mingyu digs deeper.

“I haven’t seen him in weeks so it’s been kind of awkward, “ Wonwoo confesses with a shrug. He tugs at the sleeves of his suit, forcing a smile onto his lips.

Mingyu is not yet ready to drop the topic, so he tilts his head in question. “But you seemed to be fine sitting here together just now.”

“Yeah. It’s a bit awkward but we’re still friends, I guess.”

“I’m glad then, “ Mingyu says with a smile. “He’s a good guy.”

“Really is, “ Wonwoo agrees. While the words leave his mouth, he starts to sit up a bit straighter and looks back into Mingyu’s face again. “He deserves someone who can love him back without hesitation and doubt.”

Before Mingyu can reply, someone is putting an arm around both of their shoulders and leaning down to them. Mingyu doesn’t have to look to know it’s Seungcheol. “Wanna go dancing?”

“No, I’m not really…” Mingyu starts but trails off when he notices that Seungcheol isn’t looking at him but at Wonwoo.

“Uh, I’d love to, “ Wonwoo replies with a soft smile but then he looks at Mingyu. “But I don’t wanna leave Mingyu alone.”

“He’ll be fine, “ Seungcheol says before he can speak up. “Don’t worry about him, he’ll find someone to keep him company.” Then he takes his arm off Mingyu's shoulder to extend a hand towards Wonwoo. “So, will you grant me this dance?”

Wonwoo giggles cutely as he takes Seungcheol’s hand. “With pleasure.”

And then Mingyu is alone, trying to figure out why Seungcheol asked Wonwoo to dance and why the fuck his heart feels so empty right now. Maybe it’s because he’s been looking for Seungcheol all evening and when he comes over to their table, he doesn’t even spare him a greeting. Hell, he didn’t even look at Mingyu once, his entire attention directed at Wonwoo.

He feels awkward staying at the table on his own, so he gets up and makes his way over to the bar again, ordering another glass of whiskey. Why does he keep ending up all alone today?

While he miserably sips on his drink, he tries to spot Seungcheol on the dance floor. He sees Seungkwan dramatically being twirled around by Vernon and even though it’s too loud and Mingyu’s too far away, he swears he can hear his best friend’s laughter. For a moment, that makes him feel a bit better. But then Wonwoo and Seungcheol come into his sight and his mood drops to the ground.

They are _slow-dancing_. Seungcheol has his arms around Wonwoo’s waist, Wonwoo’s arms are around his neck and they are so close and it looks so intimate and they look so good together all dressed up in their suits and Mingyu swears Seungcheol’s smiling softly at Wonwoo…

“Pissed because no one wants to dance with you?” Someone from besides him asks and he looks over to see Yoo Kihyun looking at him with a teasing smirk.

Yoo Kihyun is just a tiny body filled to the brim with arrogance and the talent of being absolutely annoying at all times. According to Seungkwan, the two of them have quite a lot in common and yeah, maybe they’re both filthy rich, young and obsessed with teasing each other. That’s all the similarities Mingyu can find though. For some reason, they still get along and gravitate towards each other when they are at the same event. It has turned them into some twisted version of friends.

“At least I can dance, unlike some other people.” Mingyu straightens up a bit to use the full effect of his height. Making fun of short people for their height is not really funny – except when said short people are assholes like Yoo Kihyun.

“Hey! I am an excellent dancer.” Kihyun looks genuinely offended by the insult, as always. His immense pride and reactions are what makes him so fun to pick on. It’s the free entertainment that Mingyu really needs during all those boring and stiff events.

Usually, Mingyu would enjoy the pleasure of riling him up like this, but today, his mind and heart aren’t in it, so he just drops the topic and instead takes a huge gulp of his whiskey.

“Why are you really here looking like a kicked puppy?” Kihyun asks, voice growing softer and more serious. “It’s not like you to get drunk all by yourself while your friends are having fun on the dance floor.”

Mingyu lets out a sigh because in all honesty, he doesn’t know. He could have looked for someone he knows and talked to them or maybe even found an attractive stranger to dance with. Why is he standing here like an idiot?

“Seungcheol is dancing with Wonwoo, “ he blurts out after a moment.

Kihyun raises an eyebrow at him. “And that bothers you because…?”

Instead of answering, Mingyu empties his glass.

Now it’s Kihyun’s turn to sigh. “Look. If you want to dance with Seungcheol, just ask him. It’s not that hard.”

Ah. Kihyun’s words finally help him understand why he feels so weird about Seungcheol asking Wonwoo to dance. Because he’s used to being his first choice and now that he isn’t, now that he was the one left behind at the table, he feels left out. But if his thought earlier is right… if Seungcheol’s intentions with Wonwoo are different… then who is he to get in the way of that? It’s not fair to ruin that for his friends just because he’s being childishly jealous.

“Why don’t you dance with me instead?”

Kihyun looks sceptical at the suggestion. “Why would I?”

But Mingyu knows exactly how to get under his skin. “Prove to me that you’re an excellent dancer.”

That’s enough to get the fire of determination burning in Kihyun’s eyes. He takes the empty glass out of Mingyu’s hands, puts it on the bar and pulls him over to the dance floor. And so they dance.

Mingyu gets lost in the music and bantering with Kihyun. It’s fun, the most fun Mingyu’s had all evening. For good measures, he teases him for his dancing even though Kihyun turns out to be right about his dancing skills. In turn, Kihyun makes a show out of ‘accidentally’ stepping on Mingyu’s feet.

The mood changes suddenly when Kihyun straightens up, steps closer to him and starts to seriously dance with him. When he notices Mingyu’s confusion, he subtly nods at something behind his shoulder. “He’s looking.”

“Who’s looking?” Mingyu asks, already craning his neck so he can see who it is. 

“Don’t be so obvious. Just look at me, “ Kihyun says, stopping Mingyu from turning around by putting a hand on his cheek. “It’s your boyfriend.”

“My what?”

“Your boyfriend, “ Kihyun repeats, a hint of frustration in his tone but he puts a strained smile on his face. “Isn’t that why you asked me to dance? To make him jealous?”

Mingyu almost freezes on the spot, he only continues moving because Kihyun’s leading him. Where did he get all of that from? “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Then the guy you’re in love with, “ Kihyun corrects himself with an eye roll. “You know, Seungcheol.”

That is so ridiculous that Mingyu has to throw his head back and laugh loudly. Why would he be in love with Seungcheol? That’s ridiculous. Sure, maybe he’s experiencing some platonic jealousy and feels left out, but that’s it. How could Kihyun mistake it for anything romantic? “He’s my best friend.”

Kihyun pats his cheek in sympathy and the look in his eyes grows soft, understanding. “Sorry to hear that. I’ve been there and it sucks.”

“No, wait- “ Mingyu begins, wanting to explain that he is not in love with Seungcheol. He doesn’t get the chance to say it though, because Kihyun leans even closer, a satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

“He’s coming over here. Guess your plan worked.”

Just seconds later, someone taps Kihyun’s shoulder. “I’ll take it from here, “ Seungcheol announces firmly, a stoic expression on his face.

Kihyun winks at Mingyu. “Have fun. I’ll catch you later, “ he says before he disappears into the moving crowd.

Seungcheol scowls after him for a second before he steps closer to Mingyu. “Let’s dance.”

Even though Seungcheol is a bit taller than Kihyun, Mingyu feels more aware of their height difference. He hesitantly puts his hand on his shoulders. Seungcheol smiles while he moves his own to Mingyu’s waist.

“What about Wonwoo?” Mingyu asks, trying to find him while peering over Seungcheol. “Where is he?”

“He’s back at the table. Vernon is with him.”

For a moment, Mingyu doesn’t know what to do with that information. “Then why aren’t you with them as well?”

“Because I wanted to dance with you.” Seungcheol says that like it’s the simplest thing in the world, like it doesn’t have any deeper meaning.

And maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it’s just that – Seungcheol wanted to dance with Wonwoo and now he wants to dance with Mingyu. Just that hearing it makes Mingyu feel breathless again and for a moment, he _wants_ the words to be meaningful and he’s not sure what to make of that.

Slow-dancing with Seungcheol is vastly different to slow-dancing with Kihyun. It feels familiar even though he’s pretty sure they’ve never done this before. There’s something way more intimate about Seungcheol’s firm grip on his waist and the way he looks at him. It makes Mingyu all the more aware of every little thing, every part of his body that touches Seungcheol, every move he makes that brings them just a little bit closer.

Now Mingyu understands why they always slow-dance in all the romance movies. The proximity, the moving around, the music – even with Seungcheol as his partner, it makes his heart beat faster and his cheeks heat up.

He’s quick to blame that on the whiskey.

“I didn’t know you were that close with Kihyun, “ Seungcheol observes, staring straight into Mingyu’s eyes. The direct eye contact still feels a bit too intense, but Mingyu’s thankful that he broke the silence and provided him a distraction from his own thoughts.

Mingyu shrugs. “We aren’t. He’s just fun to pick on.” That’s not entirely true, because Mingyu does have Kihyun’s number and they do text occasionally and once, they even met up with Seungkwan and some of Kihyun’s friends to go bowling.

“Is that why you slow-danced with him, to bully the poor guy?”

“First of all, I’m not bullying anyone, “ Mingyu argues loudly. “Second of all, Kihyun’s not a poor guy, he’s the literal devil. And I danced with him because I… felt like it.”

There’s an amused grin on Seungcheol’s face now. “Hmm, I see.”

“Why did you dance with Wonwoo?” Mingyu asks, trying to make it sound playful and not make it obvious that he’s genuinely curious, that he’s burning to know what’s going through Seungcheol’s head tonight.

“Because I felt like it, “ he simply replies.

Mingyu rolls his eyes, trying to hide that he’s disappointed that he didn’t get a better reason. “Okay then.”

The song comes to an end and now would be the chance for Mingyu to step away and go look for Seungkwan or someone else he knows. Now would be the chance for Seungcheol to let go and go back to their table to talk to Wonwoo. But they keep their hands where they are and wait for the next song to start.

“Why are you still dancing with me?” Seungcheol asks, but the teasing grin is gone from his face, replaced by something earnest, undecipherable.

Mingyu thinks about it for a second. “Because I want to.”

Seungcheol’s hand moves a bit on Mingyu’s back, pulling him an inch closer. The atmosphere between them feels heavy for some reason and Seungcheol looks right at him, right into his eyes while they move to the music. Mingyu can’t look away, stuck in this weird moment with Seungcheol.

It’s easy to forget where they are with Seungcheol so close in front of him, easy to forget the rest of the world. It’s simple really: there’s Mingyu, Seungcheol and the faint sound of the music they are moving to. There’s nothing much to it but somehow, the warm hands on his back and the glint in Seungcheol’s eyes make it feel special.

It makes Mingyu feel special. But then Mingyu wonders if that’s what Wonwoo felt like earlier, just as close to Seungcheol as he is now. And the weird moment passes just as quickly as it came.

Once the song ends, Mingyu breaks free from Seungcheol’s hold immediately. He needs some space to think, breathe. “Let’s go outside.”

Seungcheol’s hands fall to his side uselessly but he smiles. “Okay.”

“You get a bottle of the best booze you can find in this place, “ Mingyu orders as he gestures towards the bar.

“Sure thing. Any wishes?”

“Anything’s fine, “ Mingyu waves him off. “Let’s meet outside, I’ll try to find Seungkwan. Should I ask Wonwoo and Vernon to join us too?”

A hint of disappointment flickers over Seungcheol’s face but it’s gone by the time Mingyu really registers it. “I’ll get two bottles then.”

And so the five of them gather under the moon, drinking champagne straight out of the bottle while telling jokes and discussing the events of the evening. It’s comfortable, even with the two additional people to their usual group. As always, it’s Mingyu’s favourite part of the evening, this time because he can forget about all the weird things that happened before and get lost in the conversation.

When they finally say their goodbyes and part ways, Mingyu even feels a bit sad that the night is over. That’s what he tries to remember the party by: fake deep conversations in the moonlight with some old and new friends. But no matter how hard he tries to forget the other events of the evening, they keep coming back to him.

Still, he desperately hopes that things in their friend group will return to normal. He’s not that lucky though and just a week later during their Friday dinner, he notices it again. They are all crowded into the living room, Mingyu’s talking to Jun on the floor when he catches sight of Wonwoo and Seungcheol next to each other on the couch. Seungcheol’s arm is resting behind Wonwoo’s shoulder and they are discussing something intently, both looking at Wonwoo’s phone screen.

“I didn’t know Cheol and Wonwoo got along, “ he observes. The first time he’s actually seen them interact with each other was probably last week and now here they go, looking all intimate and comfortable again.

Jun looks at the pair shortly and just shrugs. “Why not? We all get along with each other, don’t we? That’s kind of why we gather here once a week.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all, “ Mingyu says but his eyes rest on the two of them for a while longer, watching as Seungcheol laughs brightly about a comment Wonwoo makes, throwing his head back. Then Seungcheol excitedly scoots even closer to him and takes the phone out of his hand to type something in.

“Does it bother you?” Jun asks carefully. He’s squinting at Mingyu a little, carefully scanning his face. It sounds awfully familiar, bringing him back to the moment with Kihyun at the bar.

Mingyu just laughs but it comes out hollow and fake and he finally forces himself to tear his eyes away from them. “Why would it bother me?”

Jun just shrugs again and Mingyu’s left wondering what he means, never quite able to figure it out. In the end, he writes it off as Jun being his usual mysterious self.

The question sticks with him, though. When he gets a phone call by Seungcheol cancelling their workout session to play video games with Wonwoo, Jun pops up in his mind and asks him again. _Does it bother you?_ When Wonwoo shows up at university wearing Seungcheol’s favourite pullover, one that Mingyu himself loves stealing from him, it comes back to him. _Does it bother you?_ When he catches Seungcheol not paying attention to the movie they are watching to text Wonwoo, softly smiling at his phone, it echoes in his mind. _Does it bother you? Does it bother you? Does it bother you?_

It only fully strikes him what it means when they are gathered in Seungcheol’s living room, destroying each other at Mario Kart. After a few normal rounds that get all of them ridiculously competitive until they realize that none of them are ever going to beat Wonwoo, they make up their own twists for the game.

It’s Seungkwan who comes up with the genius idea to team up in pairs, the one with the controller driving blindly and their partner telling them where to go. It sounds doable in theory, just that Mingyu keeps driving into the wall trying to follow Seungkwan’s frantic instructions and soon enough, they are only loudly yelling at each other.

Soonyoung and Seokmin next to them are not really better off, from the sounds of it. Instructor Soonyoung is growing increasingly frustrated with Seokmin and every other second, he yells out “YOU’RE DRIVING BACKWARDS, TURN AROUND”. Seokmin just makes wordless noises and laughs hysterically.

With Jihoon and Chan being the third competing team, the volume in the room is deafening because Chan keeps on complaining about Jihoon’s instructions and Jihoon keeps on complaining about Chan’s lack of driving skills and it’s a never ending loop of them getting more and more creative in their insults. They get so caught up in their own fight that they don’t really pay much attention to the race at all.

And then there’s Wonwoo and Seungcheol, Wonwoo talking so quietly that Mingyu can’t really make out his voice over the rest of the room. Not for lack of trying, because he tries hard to listen in to what they are saying and what Wonwoo is doing right to make the two of them so good but he really can’t understand it, not when he has a worked up Seungkwan yelling right into his ears.

It’s no surprise that Seungcheol eventually ends up placing first among them, 9th counting the NPCs. Mingyu somehow comes in third, courtesy of Jihoon and Chan being even more terrible than them. When he opens his eyes, he sees Seungcheol and Wonwoo triumphantly high-fiving each other.

They switch positions and Mingyu watches out of the corner of his eyes as Seungcheol puts an arm around Wonwoo’s chest and pulls him close to him, his mouth near Wonwoo’s ear. It looks intimate, tender, loving. Mingyu feels like throwing up. 

“Ready, set, go!” Jeonghan, who isn’t playing right now, yells out for them as the countdown appears on the screen and Mingyu frantically starts yelling at Seungkwan to start driving. He realizes soon that he’s probably even worse at instructing than driving but maybe that’s because half of his attention is focused on Seungcheol’s arm around Wonwoo’s shoulder and his lips at his ears. Of course, Wonwoo’s driving almost perfectly down the course, the rail one Mingyu’s always hated ever since he was a child. While Wonwoo is smoothly going around the curves, Seungkwan keeps falling off the road.

“Drive better!” he yells at Seungkwan, hitting his shoulder as if that would help him in any way. “Stay on the road!”

“That would be a bit easier if you would tell me where to go!” Seungkwan bites back.

“Just drive straight!” Mingyu says but he isn’t actually looking at their character Daisy. He’s looking at Luigi and admiring how he hasn’t fallen down the course even once. Sure, he’s driven into a few walls and the bats but he hasn’t fallen and it’s a damn miracle.

Daisy falls off the tracks and Seungkwan curses. “Mingyu, you fucker, do your job!”

They end up in 12th place, far from actually finishing the course. Meanwhile, Wonwoo and Seungcheol somehow made it to 6th place. They are celebrating their second victory with a hug.

“I want a new partner, “ Seungkwan announces, pushing Mingyu away from him. “Mine sucks.”

So, Mingyu gets banned to the couch and his place is filled in by Jeonghan and of course, through an indecent amount of cheating, they are doing significantly better.

“How are they so goddamn good?” Mingyu asks with crossed arms as he watches Seungcheol and Wonwoo master the Rainbow Boulevard with only falling down a few times.

“They have good teamwork, “ Joshua answers his question. “Probably comes from spending all that time together gaming.”

Mingyu really doesn’t need a reminder of that, so he just scoffs.

Jun gives him another one of his weird smiles. “So it does bother you, “ he whispers, quietly so only Mingyu can hear. Not that anyone besides Joshua would be paying attention to them, everyone else too focused on the game and yelling their own commentary at the driving teams.

“I don’t like losing, “ is all he says, not even bothering to try and whisper, even though he really isn’t that competitive compared to some other people in their friend group. Sure, he loves winning but he can accept a defeat every once in a while.

“Then get better at the game!” Seungcheol screams at him from the floor, easily making it through a sharp turn on screen. 

Once the four races are over, taking way longer than four races should because, well, driving with your eyes closed is not exactly the most efficient way to play, Seungcheol and Wonwoo place 8th overall and first in their group, Seungkwan and Jeonghan come in 11th behind Seokmin and Soonyoung, only placing above Jihoon and Chan because both of them spent most of their time as drivers peeking through very much not closed eyes.

Seungcheol and Wonwoo jump up and hug each other tightly. “We did it!” Seungcheol yells and smiles brightly behind Wonwoo’s back.

That’s when Mingyu finally pieces together all the little moments he’s witnessed spread over the past few weeks and looks at the complete picture, realizing the answer is so painfully obvious. Why Seungcheol invited Wonwoo to the party and danced with him, why they hang out so much, why they are always talking about each other, why they work so well together…

Seungcheol and Wonwoo – it’s a match.

Okay, maybe Mingyu’s been wrong the last two times when he thought that about someone, but he’s learned from those mistakes. His entire approach to matchmaking had been wrong. Instead of choosing one person and then trying to find a good fit for them based on what he thinks would work out in theory, someone he thinks suitable with similar interest, he should’ve waited to catch onto people’s natural chemistry and then help them out a little. Maybe then, he would’ve realized that Seokmin and Minghao were the match Minghao and Joshua would never be.

So this is it. This is the universe’s sign that he should pick up matchmaking again and not give up just because of his two failures. There’s a connection already between Wonwoo and Seungcheol, they’re obviously close and fond of each other. All they really need is a little nudge in the right direction, a bit of help to speed up the process.

For some reason, thinking about helping out two of his best friends get together doesn’t bring him any excitement he would have expected. It’s very different to what he felt when he picked Joshua and Minghao or Wonwoo and Jihoon to be his next projects. Back then, all he wanted to do was make his friends happy as fast as possible, make the love grow and blossom from the side lines. Now, when he thinks about Seungcheol and Wonwoo, he doesn’t feel excited at all.

Because it kind of _does_ bother him.

Mingyu writes it off as being demotivated after his past attempts mixed with the fear of being left out once his best friend starts dating. It’s going to be weird not to be Seungcheol’s number one anymore, he already experienced that feeling at the party. But this must’ve been what Seungkwan felt about Jeonghan and he got over it after a while, so Mingyu will be fine.

No matter what he feels, he’s Kim Mingyu and if he can help his friends out, he’s going to do it and give it his best. Even if the result scares him a little, even if he feels a little uncomfortable doing it – for Seungcheol and Wonwoo’s happiness, he’s willing to make a few sacrifices.

So, right then and there, while Seungcheol and Wonwoo celebrate their victory at Mario Kart, Mingyu decides that it’s time for some more meddling.

“What if Seungcheol started dating again?” Mingyu asks carefully, setting aside his laptop where he’s been working on an assignment. The last few days, he’s been trying to bring up his observations with Seungkwan.

Seungkwan is curled up on the other end of the couch watching a volleyball game on TV but he immediately looks up from the screen to squint at Mingyu. “Did … did something happen?”

“Not really?” He tilts his head a bit. “But I think he might have feelings for someone.”

For some reason, that just makes Seungkwan laugh and turn back to the TV. “Like you thought Wonwoo and Jihoon had feelings for each other? Or like Minghao wanted to date Joshua?”

Mingyu looks over to the kitchen where Minghao is currently making Chinese food with Seokmin. They put on music and Seokmin is singing along loudly. Every once in a while, waves of laughter swap over to the living room. The noises make Mingyu smile softly. “Yeah, I was wrong about those two. But this time is different, I promise. I didn’t _decide_ to find someone for Seungcheol, I just… I’ve been noticing some things.”

“Things like what?” Seungkwan challenges, raising an eyebrow into his direction. “Please enlighten me, I’d love to hear your unreasonable proof for it.”

“It’s not unreasonable! This time, it’s solid. Didn’t you notice that he’s spending an awful lot of time with Wonwoo? And he constantly brings him up in conversations for no reason.”

That makes Seungkwan wheeze from laughter. “Please, you can’t be serious. But continue. What else made you think that Seungcheol’s fallen deeply in love with Wonwoo of all people?”

“Last week, when we played Mario Kart… they won, right? Because they have chemistry with each other and work well together. Seungcheol had his arm around Wonwoo the whole time, like this…” Mingyu tries to demonstrate it with a pillow, not really successfully. “It just… It looked so soft. And the fact that they won proved that they are on one wavelength, you know?”

With every one of his words, Seungkwan laughs louder and louder, loud enough to draw the attention of Minghao and Seokmin over the music. “What are you talking about?” Seokmin asks curiously from the doorway, looking from an almost crying Seungkwan to Mingyu’s pouty expression and the pillow he’s still weirdly hugging to his chest.

“He…” Seungkwan gestures at Mingyu, trying to get the words out between his laughter. “He thinks Seungcheol’s in love with Wonwoo because they won at Mario Kart last week.”

“That’s not what I said!” Mingyu tries to defend himself, but no one’s actually listening to him because Seungkwan starts repeating everything Mingyu’s just told him and Seokmin and Minghao join in on his laughter. “It’s not that funny! I know Seungcheol and I really think something is up. He invited Wonwoo to the company party and asked him to dance! And when I went shopping with Seungcheol yesterday, he kept bringing him up and praising his body and how much he’s been working out lately. Completely unprovoked!”

No one’s actually paying attention to his frantic explanation. While Seungkwan and Seokmin are toppled over in laughter, it’s Minghao who approaches Mingyu and sits down next to him. “So you think Seungcheol acts different towards Wonwoo than our other friends?” he asks carefully.

“Yeah, obviously. They are always around each other and Seungcheol talks about him a lot, “ Mingyu explains again, getting frustrated that his friends aren’t taking him seriously at all. Just because he doesn’t have the best record when it comes to matchmaking doesn’t mean that he’s always wrong. “He definitely doesn’t act like that towards me.”

“What about Seungkwan or Jeonghan or Jihoon?” Minghao asks.

Mingyu has to think about that for a moment. Maybe the way he treats his other friends isn’t that different to how he treats Wonwoo – he’s just as affectionate towards them. But it’s still not the same, there’s no way Seungcheol would’ve won at Mario Kart with either of them, there’s just not enough chemistry between them. And he’s never noticed Seungcheol talk that much about other people or cancel plans for anyone else. “He doesn’t treat Wonwoo like he treats them.”

Minghao seems to be the one getting frustrated now and he lets out a sigh. It’s obvious that he’s trying to make some sort of point but Mingyu’s not entirely sure what he’s getting at. “Mingyu, do you actually know what someone who’s in love is like?”

Of course he does, he has to witness three different couples on a regular level and as of lately, one hopefully soon-to-be couple. It’s all in the tender looks, lingering touches and subtle flirting. “I do, “ he says firmly.

“I don’t think you do.” Minghao pats his shoulder. “Maybe you should think about it some more.”

“I have thought about this and I’m pretty sure this time. Seungcheol likes Wonwoo and Wonwoo likes Seungcheol, there’s no other way.” Even though his friends might not believe him, Mingyu is confident that he’s gotten it right. In the end, none of his friends have paid as much attention to the two of them as he has since the party, so of course they are more likely to miss the signs.

Seungkwan, finally calmed down from laughing, joins the conversation again. “You’re not going to get involved though, right?”

There’s no need for Mingyu to even say anything, his expression seems to give it away to the others immediately. They all stare at him with wide eyes and open mouths.

“Shit, Gyu, you can’t do that, “ Seokmin says after a moment of silence.

Seungkwan nods in agreement. “Just stay out of it and let them be.”

It’s not the first time he gets reactions like that to his matchmaking plans but Mingyu’s never let them stop him. After all, he doesn’t really understand why his friends are so against it. “I already made up my mind.”

“This won’t end well.” Seokmin shakes his head at him.

Minghao gives Mingyu’s shoulder a push and looks right into his eyes. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Now Mingyu’s really lost with what Minghao’s trying to say. Even the times he was horribly wrong about couples, he’s never regretted giving it a try. Why would he regret it now? “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

To get back into the game, he thinks about all the approaches he tried on Wonwoo and Jihoon and Minghao and Joshua. He’s staged accidental run-ins, brought up the other one in conversations frequently, invited them out together, made sure they were sitting next to each other. Just that with Wonwoo and Seungcheol, he doesn’t need to do any of that. They themselves hang out often enough, bring up the other in conversations and sit next to each other during group hangouts.

So now Mingyu is all out of ideas. All he can really come up with is trying to steer the topic towards romance so he knows where they stand with each other.

“You know, seeing all these couples in our friend group makes me feel lonely, “ he admits when he’s getting coffee with Wonwoo. “I want to know what it’s like to be in love.”

“It’s… it’s nice, “ Wonwoo says, blushing a bit. “Being in love feels really nice.”

“Oh?” Mingyu leans closer to the other guy. That was surprisingly easy. “I thought you’ve never been in love?”

Wonwoo looks down at his cup. “Actually… I think I have feelings for someone now. I’ve been spending a lot of time with him in the past month and he’s so incredibly sweet and attentive to me and everything is so comfortable and easy...” He smiles sweetly, looking both embarrassed as well as happy to be talking about this. “It’s just nice.”

Of course he’s fallen in love with Seungcheol because who wouldn’t? It’s easy to fall for someone who always makes you feel special, someone who can make you laugh, someone who doesn’t hesitate to call you out on your bullshit, someone who makes you feel safe and comfortable. Of course, it’s easy to fall in love with Seungcheol.

“I’m happy for you, “ Mingyu says but the taste of the lie is bitter on his tongue.

“I think you were wrong. You said I’d know if I was in love but I don’t think I did. I think I’ve been in love with him for a while but I never realized until something came and hit me in the face. My heart knew all along that I loved him, I just didn’t understand it for a while.”

Mingyu just nods but at Wonwoo’s words, something clicks into place in his own mind. Because he knows, has known all along. It’s not exactly a surprise, it feels more like finally opening your eyes and realizing you were home all this time.

Because it does bother him – not because of any of the stupid excuses he made up for himself. It bothers him because he’s in love with Seungcheol, deeply and entirely. It bothers him because it hurts to see the one he loves interested in someone else. It bothers him because he wants to be in Wonwoo’s place, he wants to receive all of his attention and be special to him.

And maybe he should’ve realized that sooner. Maybe he should’ve realized that even before Wonwoo came into the picture. He thinks about how breathless he gets when he’s too close to Seungcheol, how his heart started being faster thinking about a date with him. Maybe he could’ve realized it even before that because in the end, was there ever a time Mingyu wasn’t in love with him?

After all, falling in love with Seungcheol is easy.

Mingyu’s in love with Seungcheol. The realization finds a comfortable place in his heart, but with it comes the pain. It doesn’t hit him immediately, it quietly sneaks up on him and pulls at his insides. In a way, it’s also been there for a while, he just did a good job repressing it until now. Now that he knows, he can’t hold it back anymore and it starts washing over him in waves.

Wonwoo’s still sitting opposite of him, looking right at him with his kind and gentle eyes. So Mingyu sucks it up and forces a pained smile on his face. “Does he know?”

Seemingly unsuspecting that Mingyu’s trying hard not to cry right now, Wonwoo pulls the sleeves of his sweater over his hands and plays around with them. “I think so. It’s not like I’ve actually confessed but I think it’s been getting obvious. I don’t really know where to go from here, though.”

It’s easy to fall in love but it’s hard to deal with. “Honestly, it’s better to just confess, “ Mingyu finds himself giving Wonwoo advice. His body is moving on autopilot, acting like he isn’t giving his friend advice on how to get the guy they’re both in love with right now.

“I guess you’re right.” Wonwoo crooks his head a bit. “I just can’t find the perfect moment to do it. The timing is always off.”

Mingyu gives Wonwoo an encouraging smile. “I hope your moment will come soon.”

Nothing really changes after Mingyu’s realization but in a way, everything is different now.

At first, he tries not to think about it, tries to push the feelings to the back of his mind in a hopeless attempt to make them go away. He tries to fill his mind with other things, puts his focus on his art but it all turns out dark and hurt. Then he throws himself into his other hobbies, works on new complicated recipes, records for Jihoon in the studio, goes on photoshoots with Minghao. Still, whatever he does, his thoughts always return to Seungcheol.

No matter how much time he spends thinking about it, he doesn’t tell anyone. There’s no one he could talk about it with – obviously not Seungcheol, not Seungkwan because he would just make a big deal out of it, not Jeonghan because he’s Seungcheol’s best friend before he’s Mingyu’s. Not even Minghao and Seokmin when they’re all lying on Minghao’s floor drunk and Mingyu’s mind is entirely filled with Seungcheol. Instead, he tells them bad jokes and laughs with his friends and tries to convince himself that nothing is wrong.

Spending time with Seungcheol goes from being the easiest and most natural thing in the world to the hardest moments in Mingyu’s life. He’s tempted to start avoiding him but he doesn’t want to raise any suspicion, so he tries to act like he always has. Through forced smiles, hollow laughter and half-hearted touches, he somehow manages to conceal the storm raging in his heart.

At the end of the week, Mingyu feels like he deserves an Oscar for getting through the past few days without anyone calling him out on his slightly off behaviour. Even when Wonwoo and Seungcheol do their thing during dinner, he just smiles and messes around with Jun, ignoring the concerned glances Jun gives him. And when he hears the way Seungcheol softly says Wonwoo’s name, he makes a decision.

Even if he is in love with Seungcheol as well, he’s going to have to put his stupid feelings aside. Because Seungcheol seems to like Wonwoo and they both deserve to be happy together. Mingyu’s not going to get into the way of that. No, he won’t let himself be the reason for them not working out, so he’s going to do exactly what he planned to do: he’s going to give them the little push they need to get together.

He’s going to put the pain in his heart aside and continue on with his matchmaking project. If Wonwoo needs a moment to confess his feelings to Seungcheol, then that’s something Mingyu can help with. He’s seen enough dramatic love confessions on screen, it shouldn’t be a problem to figure out how to create the perfect moment for someone else, especially two people he knows as well as he knows Seungcheol and Wonwoo.

Just that Mingyu has no idea how Seungcheol feels about all the romantic stuff, despite the fact that Mingyu talks to Seungcheol about everything, usually. Even though they discuss their friend’s love lives with great pleasure and in detail, they never talk about their own romantic feelings.

So, one day he gathers all his courage and brings it up with him.

“I’ve been thinking about romance a lot lately, “ Mingyu starts “You know, after all the matchmaking stuff and with the couples in our friend group…” That’s not even a lie. Mingyu has noticed that he’s thinking more about what he thinks is romantic and daydreaming about a relationship recently. But maybe that’s because he’s been falling in love with Seungcheol all this time. Still, he’s thankful for all the new couples in their friend group giving him the perfect excuse for these types of conversation.

“Okay…” Seungcheol looks at him with expectant eyes. Of course, he doesn’t make things as easy for him as Wonwoo did.

“Like, Seokmin and Minghao go on cute dates all the time. Last night, they just walked around the city going into whatever direction they felt like going until they got so lost that they sent me their location and asked me to pick them up.” Mingyu grins when he remembers that he found them cuddled up to each other on a bench. “And they just constantly support each other in what they do. Seokmin bought Minghao new painting supplies last week and just watched him paint for an entire day.”

“That’s adorable, “ Seungcheol comments, a bright smile on his face. “Reminds me of the time Seokmin brought his guitar and played us a few tunes and Minghao just stared at him like some lovesick puppy. It’s sickening how sweet they are with each other.”

“Exactly!” Mingyu remembers that day as well, happy that Seungcheol seems to be following him so far. “And then we have Soonyoung and Jeonghan. They are so caring with each other, Soonyoung always texts Jeonghan when he’s here and asks him when he’s coming home. And Jeonghan always buys Soonyoung his favourite foods, no matter how expensive, and takes care of him all the time. And they’re like, extremely touchy with each other, it’s disgusting but also really cute.”

Seungcheol’s still smiling, but now he looks a little confused. “Yeah, I know all of this, “ he says. “What are you getting at?”

Mingyu doesn’t let that stop him. “And then there’s Jihoon and Chan. I mean, have you seen the way they look at each other? I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much fondness in someone’s eyes before. But Chan loves getting on Jihoon’s nerves and Jihoon loves teasing Chan to hell and back. They’re painfully honest with each other as well, if they are bothered by something, they call each other out immediately. I don’t know, I think those confrontations keep their relationship healthy and deepen their bond.”

“Yeah, I think that is really important for any relationship, “ Seungcheol says with a nod. “Even though confrontations are hard and scary sometimes. But still, what’s your point?”

“The three of them… they’re so different. Sure, they are all extremely soft and loving, obviously. But it just made me realize how everyone loves differently and how many types of romance there are. And now I wonder what kind of romance I want, you know?” Mingyu’s talking quickly, reaching the end of what he had prepared for this conversation.

But Seungcheol gives him a soft smile, a curious look on his face. “And what kind of romance do you want?”

Maybe Mingyu should’ve expected this question but he was too focused on how to get Seungcheol to reveal his preferences that he didn’t even think so far. So, he takes a moment to consider it now. All he really wants is Seungcheol. “Honestly? I think I just want something simple and comfortable. I want someone who will feel like home to me.”

“That sounds nice.”

“What do you want?” Mingyu tilts his head, carefully looking at Seungcheol’s expression to not miss anything that he’s going to say or do now.

Seungcheol, much to Mingyu’s displeasure, looks away from him and stares down at his hand, right where it’s intertwined with Mingyu’s between them. “I want… I just…” He is uncharacteristically flustered right now. “I think…”

Mingyu rubs his thumb along Seungcheol’s skin, trying to non verbally tell him that he can take his time. Talking about love and romance is difficult, Mingyu gets that.

“I want… “ Seungcheol hesitates, then he clears his throat before he starts over. “It doesn’t matter that much to me, I just want to love and be loved. And make the other person as happy as possible.”

That doesn’t really help Mingyu out with his matchmaking, so he tries to dig a bit deeper. “Come on, tell me more. Like… what do you want in a partner?”

Maybe it’s because the topic is so unfamiliar to them but there’s a strange sort of tension in the air. He can sense that Seungcheol is holding back on saying something, that he’s carefully considering every word and answer.

“I don’t know…” His voice is slow and quiet yet firm, genuine. “I want someone with a heart so big and full of love, someone who gets passionate about whatever they put their mind too, someone who always wants to help and give, someone smart, someone who’s confident and so damn sure of himself.” Seungcheol lets out a deep sigh. “Is that enough?”

He doesn’t seem to notice that he changed pronouns halfway through, like he tried to keep it vague but had a very specific person in mind all along. The description could fit Wonwoo, right? He’s definitely full of love, passionate, giving, smart and … well, Mingyu doesn’t really think Wonwoo’s “so damn sure of himself” but maybe that’s a side of him he just hasn’t seen yet, maybe he’s like that when it comes to gaming. It has to be about Wonwoo.

At least, it’s obviously not about Mingyu. If it was about Mingyu, he would’ve probably went on about how he’s a huge fucking idiot who can’t stop talking and pushes too much. Seungcheol’s always preferred criticizing him over giving him compliments, for some reason.

“More than enough, “ Mingyu says, ignoring the way something inside him aches. This is not the time and place for his heart to break all over again. He knew that Seungcheol liked Wonwoo, why does the confirmation still hut so much? To leave his mind no time to dwell over it, he quickly moves on with the conversation. “Well… what about dates? What do you think is romantic?”

Seungcheol looks at him with wide eyes, his eyes darting over Mingyu’s face as if he’s looking for something. “Why are you suddenly so curious about all this?” he asks, his voice smaller than usual.

Mingyu just shrugs, trying to come off as casual. “Just… We’ve never talked about it before. I just… I want to know stuff like that about you.” It’s true, even if isn’t the reason he’s bringing it up now. He wants to know everything about Seungcheol. He wants to know what he would have to say to make him flustered, what would make him smile. He wants to know what makes his heart beat faster, what makes him breathless. He wants to know where he likes to be kissed and touched, find all the right spots to make him go crazy. But it’s not his place to know all of that, because after all, he’s nothing but Seungcheol’s friend.

“Oh.” Seungcheol looks away from his face again. “It doesn’t matter that much to me, I think everything can be fun with the right person. Even just lying around on the couch all day, doing absolutely nothing. But I think for an ideal date, going somewhere you can talk a lot but also actively do something together would be nice.”

At his words, Mingyu has to think about his playground date idea again. It does fit Seungcheol’s description, doesn’t it? After all, he still knows Seungcheol best. “Hmm, an amusement park or a playground sounds nice then, “ Mingyu suggests.

“That does sound perfect, “ Seungcheol agrees with a bright smile. He’s probably picturing it with Wonwoo right now, judging by the excited glint in his eyes. “I’d love to do that.”

Mingyu pushes away all of his own fantasies of going on dates with Seungcheol. This is it. Now he knows how to – hopefully – create the perfect opportunity for Wonwoo to confess.

“Thanks again for the tickets, “ Wonwoo says over the phone a week later. “It’s really nice that you gave them to me.”

Mingyu takes a deep breath. After his conversation with Seungcheol, he immediately bought two tickets to the amusement park and gave them to Wonwoo. He made up some story about how he planned to go with Seungkwan but they’re both busy now.

He winked when he handed him the tickets yesterday. “Maybe your moment will come there.”

Wonwoo just blushed and looked down shyly.

“Just have fun, “ Mingyu says now. “Take some pics for Seungkwan and me so we can vicariously live through you later.” The last thing he wants is cute date pictures of Seungcheol and Wonwoo, but he’s gotten pretty good at pretending he’s just helping his two friends out, no romantic feelings involved on his side.

Seungkwan casts him a confused glance from the other end of the couch at the mention of his own name but Mingyu waves him off for now.

“Oh, I see him coming, “ Wonwoo suddenly says, voice laced in excitement. “I have to go.”

“You got this, okay?” Mingyu hypes him up one last time, rather half-heartedly. “Tell me all about it when you get home.”

“Will do. Thanks again.” With that, Wonwoo hangs up.

“What was that about?” Seungkwan asks as soon as Mingyu puts his phone down.

“Wonwoo’s going to the amusement park today, “ Mingyu tells him, not mentioning yet that he’s going with Seungcheol. It’s not his place to tell Seungkwan about their date. “I told him I bought tickets for us but that we are too busy to go but really, I just bought the tickets for him so he could have a day off, you know.”

Seungkwan squints his eyes a little. “You’ve never bought me amusement park tickets so I could have a day off. And I’m not busy today, you could’ve just bought tickets for all of us.”

Mingyu gets up from the couch. “We are busy today, though.”

“Busy doing what?” Seungkwan looks at the TV playing in front of them. “Watching reruns of shitty reality shows?”

“No, way better.” Mingyu grins widely, knowing full well how much Seungkwan is going to love what he’s about to say. “It’s cleaning day.”

It’s not like the apartment isn’t clean already – something Seungkwan spends the next hour pointing out until he flees the apartment to meet up with some friends. Mingyu always makes sure to keep the place somewhat tidy. But today, he needs something to keep him busy and distracted before he spends the entire time thinking about the date.

Not that it works much. He puts on loud music and gets to work but while he’s doing the laundry, he wonders what the two of them are wearing, if Seungcheol put any special effort into his outfit. When he cleans the bathroom, he thinks about what kind of rides the two of them might be going on. Over the sound of the vacuum, he imagines Seungcheol’s laughter and screams. Scrubbing the kitchen floor, he wonders what kind of snacks they might be getting.

Around noon, he runs out of things to do. Every surface in the apartment is shining and clear, there’s not a single speck of dust anywhere and Mingyu even got the weird red stain that’s been bothering him for weeks out of the living room carpet. So he just falls back down on the couch and puts on a cooking show, his mind right there in the amusement park with Wonwoo and Seungcheol, his heart almost bursting. He sends Wonwoo a text, asking how it’s going, only to get back “It’s really nice” an hour later. 

Mingyu can’t bring himself to reply, so he just turns off his phone and decides to take an afternoon nap to avoid having to deal with his thoughts and feelings.

He’s woken up by someone making weird noises right next to his ear. When he opens his eyes, he’s staring straight at Seungcheol’s grin. “Good morning, sleepyhead, “ he says as he moves back a bit, ruffling Mingyu’s hair. “Now I see why you weren’t replying to my texts.”

For a moment, Mingyu’s disoriented and can’t remember why he fell asleep on the couch. All he can really think about is waking up to Seungcheol’s face so close to his and how he would love to do that more often. “What time is it?” he asks groggily, already reaching for his phone to check for himself.

“Just past 4, “ Seungcheol replies. “Seungkwan told me it’s cleaning day today but I thought it’d be safe to come by now.”

It’s only when his phone screen stays black that he remembers. The cleaning, the date, Wonwoo’s text – wait. “Why are you here?” Mingyu sits up immediately, all the sleepiness flying away. “Why aren’t you with Wonwoo?”

Seungcheol just gives him an irritated look. “Why would I be with Wonwoo?”

“Because of your plans?” Mingyu says. Seungcheol’s confusion and his presence are making him confused. “I thought you met up today. Did you already leave? Did something happen?”

“Wonwoo?” Seungcheol’s face scrunches up in a frown. “I didn’t have any plans with him today.”

If Seungcheol wasn’t with Wonwoo today… who the fuck is on a date with him right now? “But… the amusement park…”

Realization washes over Seungcheol’s face before his expression twists into something ugly, something hurt, something angry. “No, “ he just says sternly, taking a step back from Mingyu. “No. You didn’t.”

Mingyu is a bit slower at piecing it together but he knows one thing: He got it wrong – again. The guy Wonwoo likes isn’t Seungcheol because Seungcheol’s here, right now, with Mingyu.

Seungcheol’s never looked at Mingyu with this much anger in his eyes but his voice is scarily calm and quiet when he talks. “You tried to set me up with Wonwoo. You turned me into your next little matchmaking project. I can’t fucking believe you.”

Mingyu suddenly feels extremely small and stupid. “You seemed so close…”

Seungcheol scoffs. “Yeah because we’re friends.”

“You invited him to the party and asked him to dance… And you two won Mario Kart.” Mingyu tries to explain frantically, but he only feels Seungcheol growing angrier in front of him. Maybe Seungkwan, Minghao and Seokmin were right laughing about him when he told him his reasons. Now that he is trying to justify his actions to Seungcheol, they do feel a bit ridiculous.

“That’s why you thought, yeah, why not set them up with each other?” Seungcheol laughs bitterly, the sound ringing in Mingyu’s ears. “Fucking hell, are you really that clueless?”

Mingyu opens his mouth, but there’s nothing he can say to that. He is clueless, after all. “So… you don’t like Wonwoo?” is all he can get out.

There’s a moment of silence hanging over them, unbearable and heavy. Then Seungcheol suddenly deflates, the anger leaving his body and leaving behind nothing but defeat. He looks vulnerable like this, looking right at Mingyu’s eyes. “No, I don’t like Wonwoo. I never have and I never will.”

“Oh… “ Mingyu feels like he’s supposed to say something now, something to save the situation and make things right between him and Seungcheol. “Sorry for assuming.”

Judging by how quickly Seungcheol’s expression hardens and turns cold, that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “That’s what you’re sorry for?”

“I just wanted to help…”

Seungcheol lets another laugh, fake and piercing. “Why do you think I need your help? Why do you think any of our friends need your help? They don’t, Mingyu. You’re not some sort of cupid with a special power. You’re just an arrogant asshole who feels the need to stick his nose in other people’s business when it’s clearly not wanted.”

His words hurt because Mingyu knows they are true. Jihoon and Chan, Minghao and Seokmin, Wonwoo and whoever the guy is he likes – all he did was make things more complicated for them. And he put that expression on Seungcheol’s face, the mix of hurt and anger. “I’m sorry, “ he says, “I’m sorry.”

“Save it, I don’t want to hear it.” Seungcheol shakes his head at him. “There’s just one thing I need to know. When you asked me all those questions… about dates and romance… was that only to gather information to set me up with Wonwoo? Did you ever actually care about my answers?”

Mingyu wants to scream out that he asked them because he genuinely wanted to know, because he wants to be the one to take Seungcheol out on dates like that and make him happy. But that wouldn’t be the full truth. “I asked because of Wonwoo.”

Seungcheol takes a deep and shaky breath. For a moment, he looks like he’s about the curse Mingyu out again, but he just gives him a tired nod. “Thanks. That’s all I needed to know.” With those words, he turns around and leaves the apartment, throwing the door closed behind him.

And Mingyu, after holding himself together for the past two weeks, can’t do it any longer. He falls apart.

It’s Minghao who finds him just a few minutes later. “Hey, Mingyu, “ he yells from the hallway while he’s taking off his coat and shoes. “I ran into Seungcheol on my way here and he looked pretty distress-“

He immediately stops talking when he sees Mingyu, curled together on the living room floor and sobbing violently. He doesn’t ask questions, just lies down next to him and holds onto him. He starts talking in hushed Chinese and Mingyu has no idea what he’s saying but even if he did, he probably wouldn’t be able to listen anyways. His mind is playing his fight and Seungcheol’s loud words over and over again on loop.

They stay like that until Seungkwan comes bursting into the room. “Mingyu, “ he breathes out and falls down on the floor next to them. “Mingyu.”

Mingyu’s trapped between two of his best friends, one rubbing in soothing circles on his back, one holding his hands. His vision goes blurry again.

Seungkwan wipes away the tears from his cheeks. “It’s okay, Gyu. It’s okay.”

Once he manages to stop crying and his body calms down, Seungkwan and Minghao help him back onto the couch. They wrap him up into a blanket, Seungkwan always staying closely cuddled up to him. Minghao goes to make some food in the kitchen, forcing Mingyu to eat half a bowl of soup. They put on a Studio Ghibli movie as background noise and it all helps ground Mingyu but he also starts to feel incredibly drained and empty.

“What happened?” Seungkwan asks quietly after a while, his hand brushing through Mingyu’s hair.

“I’m just, “ Mingyu’s voice breaks, hoarse from all the crying. “I’m an idiot, “ he presses out. “I fucked up.”

Minghao puts a comforting hand on his leg and smiles at him. “Do you want to tell us how you fucked up?”

“I got it all wrong, “ Mingyu says. “I think I really hurt him.”

For some reason, there’s no need for him to specify who he’s talking about, Seungkwan seems to know. “Then apologize. He’ll come around eventually.”

“He might need some space for a bit but you mean a lot to him, “ Minghao adds. “You can fix this.”

Mingyu isn’t sure if he believes in it. Every time he closes his eyes, he remembers the look on Seungcheol’s face when he understood what was going. “I’m such a fucking idiot.”

Seungkwan just pats his head. “You are but I still love you. You can figure out what to do tomorrow, okay?”

At that, Mingyu nods his head and just cuddles up closer to Seungkwan. “Okay.”

Mingyu doesn’t figure out what to do the next day because his whole body hurts. For the entire Sunday, Seungkwan, Minghao and Seokmin swat around him and do their best to cheer him up. It’s hard, staying in his own apartment because everything reminds him of Seungcheol. The couch in the living room, the kitchen, the dinner table. In every room, he has memories with Seungcheol. So he stays cooped up in his own bed, the other three taking turns keeping him company.

Things get easier after the weekend. When he gets out of bed on Monday morning, he decides to pretend that everything is alright again. He makes breakfast for the four of them and greets them all with a cheerful smile when they come into the room, even though they all just give him sceptical looks and raised eyebrows. Mingyu just acts like he doesn’t notice.

During his lunch break, he meets up with Wonwoo and listens to him gush about his date on Saturday. Apparently, it went well and Wonwoo did pull through with his confession, finding out that his feelings are reciprocated. “We spent the entire Sunday together, “ he tells him with a grin. “It’s just… really nice.”

Mingyu’s genuinely happy for him. Now that he knows that Seungcheol has no feelings for Wonwoo and that Wonwoo has no feelings for Seungcheol, he’s back to being completely comfortable around him. He feels a bit bad for not feeling that way for a few weeks, for letting his feelings and own stupidity get in between his friendship. But Wonwoo’s glowing from happiness and Mingyu’s just glad he gets to be around to see that now.

He carries on like everything’s alright for the rest of the week, pretends that there’s not a huge hole in his heart and his life. He goes to classes as always, meets up with his non-Seungcheol friends as often as possible and even makes some time to visit his family just to avoid sitting alone at home when he would normally be hanging out with him. And just like that, the week passes and Friday is here and Mingyu finds himself making dinner in the kitchen.

Seungkwan, supporting his cooking efforts by serving as entertainment and lazing around on the counter, gives him a scrutinizing look. “You know, we can skip a week.”

“We haven’t skipped a week in months, I’m not breaking our streak. There’s no reason to, anyways. I’m okay.”

“You clearly aren’t.” Seungkwan puts a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, I can see straight through your façade.”

“I’m okay, “ Mingyu just repeats but he can feel the tears welling up in his eyes. “There’s no façade.”

Seungkwan lets out a heavy sigh. “Then why are you crying?”

Mingyu rubs over his eyes. “It’s the onions.”

They both stare at the uncut onions still resting in their net next to the sink. Well, Mingyu’s never been a good liar. Finally, he puts the knife in his hand down and turns around to face Seungkwan. “He’s not going to come tonight, is he?”

Seungkwan shakes his head softly. “He went on a business trip to the States. Left yesterday, probably won’t come back till next week.”

“Oh.” Mingyu’s heart aches. Apparently, Seungcheol wants to be as far away from him as possible. Then again, he’s glad he won’t have to explain their fight to their other friends later because he wouldn’t know how to do that anyways.

“I think it might be good for him to have some space, “ Seungkwan says. “I’m sure once he’s back, you two can talk it out.” Mingyu really hopes that he’s right but he’s not sure if it’s going to be that easy.

“I just miss him so much, “ he whispers and there in the kitchen right next to his half cut vegetables, he allows himself to let the tears he’s been holding back for the past few days out. Seungkwan wraps his arms around him and pulls him closer, allowing him to cry into his shoulder.

“I’m sure he misses you too, “ Seungkwan says, patting his back.

“This is, “ Mingyu sniffles. “the longest we ever went without talking.”

“I know, babe, I know.”

A Friday night dinner without Seungcheol feels weird. It’s not the first time he hasn’t been there, of course, but this time Mingyu’s all the more aware of his absence. He spends most of the actual dinner looking at the empty chair right next to him and when they play games in the living room, he feels like it’s way too silent without his competitive yelling and screaming. Once everyone’s left and it’s only him, Seungkwan and Minghao, he feels the empty space on the couch, misses his arms around him or how he would always look for ways to get on his nerves.

On Saturday, Mingyu wants to avoid being at the apartment at all costs. So, after going shopping with Minghao and forcing Jeonghan to have lunch with him, he thinks about which of his friends he should go bother next. For a second, he considers going to Jun’s place but chances that he’s actually home are pretty small. So, he decides to go visit Wonwoo, shooting him a quick text to warn him that he’s coming over soon.

He’s lost in thought when he gets on the elevator in his apartment complex, trying not to think about the fact that he hasn’t seen Seungcheol in a week. And the last thing he’s seen of him was the cold and closed off expression on his face, burned into Mingyu’s eyes forever.

Like that, he almost misses the right floor. He only remembers getting off because when he gets out of the elevator, a kissing couple is standing in front of him and he quickly recognizes one of them as Wonwoo.

Mingyu clears his throat and the two break apart, looking a bit embarrassed but with huge grins on their faces. Much to Mingyu’s surprise, the guy standing sheepishly next to Wonwoo is none other than Vernon.

“Oh hi, Mingyu, “ he greets him, an easy smile on his lips but his ears are burning red.

“Hey, “ Mingyu nods at him, walking out of the elevator. “Uh… sorry for interrupting.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything, “ Wonwoo says a bit too quickly. 

Suddenly, a lot of things Wonwoo has said about falling in love make more sense. How he wasn’t sure at first, only gradually realized over time. He literally brought up their conversation about Vernon when he told him that he had feelings for someone and still, Mingyu was too slow to connect the pieces.

Yet again, Seungcheol turns out to be right.

 **_~~wonwoo & seungcheol~~  
_ ** **_wonwoo & vernon_ **

For the rest of the day, Mingyu listens to Wonwoo talk about Vernon. It’s adorable because Wonwoo can’t stop smiling or blushing or giggling. Happiness looks good on him, it’s infectious and helps Mingyu keep his mind off certain other things for a while.

Wonwoo finally retells the entire amusement park date to him in detail, thanking him again for the tickets. Then he goes on to say that Vernon asked him to be his boyfriend and Mingyu almost squeals because of how cute it all is.

Only when he’s alone in bed that night, does he let himself think about Seungcheol again. How he called Vernon and Wonwoo’s relationship months ago, back when Mingyu was still set on Jihoon and Wonwoo to work out. If he had trusted Seungcheol’s judgement back then, things between them would be entirely different now.

Seungkwan, much to everyone’s surprise, positively freaks out when he finds out about the new couple. “This is literally the best thing that has ever happened in my entire life, “ he proclaims. “Now Vernon’s going to become a part of our group and I can work on making him my very best friend in the entire universe.”

“What about me?” Mingyu pouts. “I thought I was your very best friend in the entire universe.”

“Are you as cool as Vernon? No.” Seungkwan isn’t even looking at him, typing on his phone to probably spam Vernon with messages. “Besides, you’re past being my best friend at this point. You’re like, my family.”

It baffles Mingyu how Seungkwan can say something so soft and loving so casually while he’s simultaneously typing an all caps message to Vernon about how betrayed he feels to find out about his relationship through Mingyu. “I love you, “ Mingyu says, putting his head on Seungkwan’s chest in front of his phone screen to get his full attention. “You’re my family too, you know.”

“I love you too, “ Seungkwan replies quietly, a soft smile playing around his lips. Then he shoves Mingyu away from him. “Now get out of my face.”

It’s not only Seungkwan, their whole friend group immediately adores Vernon. He fits well into their dynamic. He’s friendly, he’s easy-going and he thinks they all, but especially Seungkwan, are absolutely hilarious, judging by how loudly he laughs at their jokes and antics. His laughter is nice and contagious and Mingyu thinks he’s just the missing piece to their group.

“Where’s Seungcheol?” Chan asks during the next Friday dinner after everyone’s spent a sufficient amount swatting around Vernon.

“He’s still on his trip, “ Joshua replies, ruffling Chan’s hair. “But I’ll tell him that you miss him.”

“Never said that, “ Chan protests, swatting Joshua’s hands away. “I was just wondering. When is he coming back?”

Mingyu tries to ignore the conversation and the stabbing pain inside of his heart from how much he misses Seungcheol. It’s not like he isn’t already thinking about him all the time but hearing his name said out loud hurts on a different level. 

“Seungcheol?” Vernon looks up from his conversation with Jihoon and leans over to Joshua and Chan a bit, effectively making all other conversations at the table die down. “He was set to come back a few days ago but he extended his trip till next week. Honestly, it’s all really weird.”

“What do you mean, weird?” Soonyoung asks.

Vernon hums thoughtfully. “I don’t know, it’s just… There was no real reason for him to go there in the first place? Someone else was supposed to go, but he took over at the last minute. It’s not a big deal, just a few meetings and checking out a location, nothing that should take over a week. It’s not like him to want to go overseas at all, especially not longer than necessary… Don’t you think it’s kind of weird?”

It’s easy to see which of their friends know exactly what’s going on and which of them have absolutely no idea. Six pairs of eyes are suddenly on Mingyu, carefully watching out for his reaction. The others, namely Jihoon, Chan, Wonwoo and Soonyoung, agree with Vernon through hums and nods. “It is kind of weird, “ Chan comments.

“It’s not that weird, “ Jeonghan argues. “He told me there’s still something he needs to take care of over there, but he’s aiming to come back next week.”

Next week. In all honesty, Mingyu’s dreading his arrival back a bit. With Seungcheol across the ocean in another country, there’s a sense of uncertainty for their future left. Once he comes back, lots of things can go wrong again. Most importantly, Mingyu won’t have any excuse left to not reach out to him.

Seungkwan grabs for Mingyu’s hand under the table, sensing his discomfort. “Stop acting like he disappeared off the face of the earth. You all have phones and his number, just text him yourself. Now, about texting, I got this really weird text by my mother today…”

Mingyu sends Seungkwan a thankful smile for changing the topic.

For the rest of the night, he sticks by Seungkwan’s side because he knows to entirely avoid mentioning Seungcheol and does a good job of naturally deterring the conversation whenever someone does bring him up. Still, it’s not like it matters too much, because Mingyu’s having a hard time not thinking about Seungcheol anyways, not when there’s an empty spot at the table, not when his laugh is missing from the chatter of their friends.

Because no matter how much Mingyu tries to pretend, he can’t escape his own heart.

**_mingyu & seungcheol_ **

Mingyu starts losing his faith in the universe after two weeks of not hearing a word from Seungcheol.

“When do you think he’s coming back?” he asks. It’s Sunday evening, already dark outside. Somehow, it’s easier to talk about it during the night time. Maybe it’s the soft artificial lightning that makes the world seem just a bit softer and more forgiving than it actually is.

Minghao looks a little surprised that Mingyu is bringing it up himself but he shrugs. “I don’t know him that well, but I don’t think he can stay overseas that much longer. What are you going to do once he’s back?”

That’s what Mingyu tries to avoid thinking about the most. Once he does, he starts imagining countless scenarios and most of them end in pain and heartbreak for him. “I should probably start by apologizing.”

“Good idea. Just be honest with him, Gyu. Then you can work it out together.”

Being honest… That would entail telling Seungcheol that he has feelings for him. Mingyu isn’t sure if he’s able to do that. Right now, all he can really wish for is for things to go back to how they were before their fight. Confessing his feelings… it’s scary and it’s going to change their whole friendship, probably destroy it or at least strip away their level of comfort and trust.

“I- “ he starts saying but he’s interrupted by the doorbell. “Wait, I’ll get that. If Seungkwan forgot his key again, I’m actually killing him this time.” He untangles himself from Minghao and walks over to the door.

Maybe he should’ve expected who would stand on the other side of the door. After all, Seungcheol has a talent of showing up right when people are talking about him. But Mingyu’s too glad that the conversation was cut short, that he didn’t have to admit out loud how much being honest scares him. So he enthusiastically swings the door open, not checking beforehand who’s standing in front of it.

Choi Seungcheol gives him a sheepish smile. “Hey.”

“Hi, “ Mingyu breathes out, freezing on the spot. Just getting to look at him eases a bit of the pain in Mingyu’s heart, but it also feels like a punch to the guts to see him again, here, in front of his apartment when he’s supposed to be thousands of miles away.

For a moment, they don’t say anything and just stare at each other. Mingyu takes in the bags under Seungcheol’s eyes, the exhaustion clearly visible on his face. He’s wearing his favourite hoodie, the hood up with only a few messy strands of hair sticking out. All Mingyu wants to do is wrap his arms around him and pull him close, brushing through his hair until he falls asleep in his arms. Instead, he just stares and Seungcheol stares right back.

It’s Minghao who breaks the moment apart, pushing past the two of them to get out of the apartment, a coat and his keys in his hands. “I’m going to drop by Soonyoung’s place, “ he announces. “Maybe I’ll sleep over there. So just… do your thing.” He does a vague gesture between them with his hand before he turns around to walk to the elevator. “Call me if you need something, “ he yells over his shoulder.

Once he’s gone, Mingyu clears his throat. “Uh… do you wanna come in?”

It’s awkward because usually, Mingyu never had to ask things like that. Hell, he gave Seungcheol a key to the apartment just two weeks after they moved in because he came by basically every day anyways. It’s weird now, having Seungcheol ring the doorbell and having to invite him in. How fast things can change in just two weeks.

Seungcheol nods, though, and Mingyu leads him inside, walking to the kitchen because the living room reminds him too much of their last conversation. “Do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?” he asks politely, like he would if Seungcheol was a new guest here. But he isn’t, he knows exactly where everything is and knows that he can just take whatever he wants.

“No, thanks, “ Seungcheol says.

It’s stiff and uncomfortable and Mingyu would rather be anywhere else than standing awkwardly in his kitchen right now. But this is still Seungcheol, his best friend. And now is his chance to make things right.

Instead, he opens up a different conversation. “Did you hear the news yet?”

Seungcheol lets out a sigh, but he goes along with it. “What news?”

“Vernon and Wonwoo are now officially together.”

“Oh yeah, they both texted me about it, “ Seungcheol says and smiles, even though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“You were right again, “ Mingyu chuckles awkwardly. “You saw it coming months ago.”

Seungcheol shrugs. “Vernon talked to me a lot about Wonwoo. And I could see how good they were for each other.”

“Yeah, I can see that too now. I’m happy they finally worked it out.”

“Me too.”

That’s all there is to be said about the topic, really, so they fall back into silence. He watches as Seungcheol starts opening his mouth, clearly about to say something, but Mingyu beats him to it. He’s not sure he wants to hear what Seungcheol has to say yet. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” Seungcheol asks carefully, face guarded.

“Everything, “ Mingyu whispers, but he knows that’s not good enough. “I’m sorry for upsetting you. I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry I tried to get involved in things that don’t concern me. I always knew that you were against all that matchmaking and of course you wouldn’t want me to try it on you and I should’ve realized that. Your love life is none of my business, after all. My actions hurt you and I’m sorry for that.”

Seungcheol’s mask crumbles at that, revealing an expression of sadness and disappointment. “Oh, Mingyu. You still don’t get it, do you? That’s not what hurt me. I don’t want my love life to be none of your business.”

Despite the part of his heart that is soaring with hope at that, Mingyu tries to stay rational. “So you do want me to help you out a bit? Set you up with someone?”

Seungcheol closes his eyes and releases a deep sigh. “You’re such an idiot. That’s not what I mean.”

Mingyu steps closer. “Then explain it to me. What do you mean?” But maybe Mingyu already knows. Because he can see it right on Seungcheol’s face right now – the same sense of heartbreak that is aching in his own chest, the same hopeful glint in his eyes, the same longing and yearning. But even though he’s starting to have his suspicions, he needs Seungcheol to say it out loud, needs the confirmation that he’s not being entirely stupid again. After all, he’s been wrong about these kinds of things many times.

“Fuck, it’s…. it’s not easy, “ Seungcheol starts, pushing the hood off his head and his hand through his hair. He’s avoiding Mingyu’s face, his eyes darting over the counter and fridge behind him, then to the floor. _It’s easy to fall in love but it’s hard to deal with._ “I just…I… Mingyu…”

Mingyu takes another step toward him. “Tell me, Cheol.”

Seungcheol looks up and takes a deep breath before he starts talking, his voice now tender, genuine, vulnerable. “If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know how I am… I’m not good with words, not like you are. I’m not good at talking about it and apparently, I suck even more at showing it. Guess that’s the reason you never noticed, never understood…”

Mingyu’s breath catches in his throat as he listens, a warm feeling wrapping around his heart. All the pain of the past two weeks is forgotten. If he thinks back to everything that happened the past few weeks, it’s all there. In the playful fights, the bantering, the slow-dancing, the words that linger in the glances and touches but are never said out loud. It’s always been there and it’s there right now, in Seungcheol’s eyes and finally, finally in what he says.

“I understand now, “ Mingyu says.

“Do you?” Seungcheol’s carefully studying his face. “Do you understand that it’s you that I want? I’m always thinking about you, I always want to be around you. I want you, Mingyu, I’ll take everything you want to give me. Even if it’s just friendship, I’m okay with that. I just don’t want to lose you.”

All Mingyu really wants to do is just take another step closer to Seungcheol and kiss him, show him that he understands and feels the same way. But he knows there’s something else that he needs to do before that.

“Ask me again, “ he demands. “Ask me that question you asked me before you left last time.”

For a second, Seungcheol looks confused but then he seems to remember. “When you asked me all those questions… did you care about my answers?”

“So much.” Mingyu takes a step closer to Seungcheol. “I want to know how to make your heart race.” He takes his hand in his own. “I want to know how to make you blush.” He puts his other hand on Seungcheol’s cheek. “I want to know how to make you shiver.” He leans closer to his ear, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I want to know everything about you.”

Seungcheol laughs, pushing him away a bit to look at his face again. “You’re awfully curious, aren’t you?” His cheeks are tainted in a faint pink, though and the most beautiful smile is lighting up his expression.

“Curious about you, yes.” Mingyu enjoys the moment, being so close to Seungcheol again, getting to look right into his eyes and see all the feelings he’s feeling himself inside of them.

“You already know everything about me.”

“I don’t.” Mingyu leans closer again, his hand still resting on Seungcheol’s cheek. “There’s still so much left to discover about you and I want to discover it all. Right now, I’m wondering what it’s like to kiss you. How you liked to be kissed.”

“Then find out, “ Seungcheol says, putting his hands on Mingyu’s waist to pull him even closer.

Mingyu’s eyes flutter closed as he leans in, heart beating fast in anticipation.

When their lips meet, Mingyu learns. Learns how soft Seungcheol’s lips feel on his own, learns how to gently move his lips to match his pace, learns just where to apply pressure to make his finger tighten around his waist.

Seungcheol moves away a bit for a moment, only to hoist himself up on the kitchen counter, pulling Mingyu between his legs by his waist. Their breath comes heavy and for the short second they’re separated, Mingyu can’t tear his eyes away from Seungcheol’s lips. Mingyu thinks about how kissing Seungcheol is better than everything he’s imagined but then Seungcheol presses their mouths together again and all thoughts fly away.

Mingyu learns that Seungcheol quickly gets more passionate, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. Learns how Seungcheol’s tongue sliding against his feels, learns what to do to make little noises escape his throats, learn what it means to be kissed senseless because all he can really focus on is Seungcheol, his hands, his lips, his tongue.

Once they pull away from each other, Mingyu leans his forehead against Seungcheol’s and catches his breath for a moment, chest heaving hard.

“Curiosity satisfied?” Seungcheol asks, a cheeky grin on his face. Mingyu can’t help but grin back.

“Never will be, “ Mingyu says, tempted to lean in for another kiss but deciding against it. “But, uh, maybe we should talk.”

Seungcheol nods but he doesn’t pull away, keeps his hands firmly on Mingyu’s waist. “Yeah, let’s talk, “ he says but he’s still looking at his lips with desire.

So, Mingyu leans in for another kiss, short and sweet. When he moves away, leaning further back this time, Seungcheol chases his lips for a moment before he looks up to him with a pout. But Mingyu ignores it, bringing some distance between them so he and his way too fast beating heart can calm down.

For a moment, they just stare at each other but this time, the silence feels much less heavy and uncomfortable than before. “I don’t know if I already made it clear enough, “ Mingyu starts. “I’m in love with you too.”

“I know, “ Seungcheol simply says. “But tell me more.”

“I’m sorry about what I did. I … When I thought you had feelings for Wonwoo, it bothered me so fucking much. But I didn’t want to get in the way of it, I wanted to be a good friend and help you. I wanted you to be happy, Cheol, even if it isn’t with me.”

“Well, I can tell you I really wasn’t happy the past two weeks, “ Seungcheol says. “The way you behaved lately made me hope, made me think there’s a chance. But then I found out you just wanted to set me up with Wonwoo… that really hurt.”

“I’m sorry, “ Mingyu says again. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. I should have told you about my feelings back then and not just… disappear for two weeks without a word. I was a coward and I ran away and Jeonghan told me you looked miserable since then and … I’m sorry for that.”

Mingyu shakes his head. “It’s okay, I understand. Maybe it was a good thing we both had some time to clear our heads.”

Seungcheol smiles. “Clear my head? You were on my mind the whole time. All I did was sit around and think about you and miss you. Fuck, I missed you so much.”

“Same.” Mingyu steps closer again, this time, to wrap his arms around Seungcheol for a hug. “Please don’t leave for that long again. Or at least call and text if you do.”

“Of course.” Seungcheol buries his face in Mingyu’s shoulder, holding him tight. “I’ll stay with you as long as you want me to.”

Mingyu feels like he’s truly home for the first time in a while. There’s a soft smile on his face that he just can’t get to go away, not that he really wants to, and a warmth inside of him that’s making him feel all mushy and comfortable. “Let’s stay like this forever, “ he says.

“I’d love that but…” Seungcheol moves away to look at Mingyu again. “I’m actually like, really hungry.”

That makes Mingyu laugh. He leans in to press a quick kiss on Seungcheol’s cheek, then he lets go and steps back. “Just stay there, I’ll make us some dinner.”

They spend the rest of the evening in a cosy haze. Mingyu heats up some leftovers from the day before and they eat on the couch, catching each other up on what happened in the past two weeks. Seungcheol shares some stories about his business trip, but he mostly listens to Mingyu’s retelling of everything that happened in their friend group the past two weeks.

“You really had no clue that it was Vernon before that?” Seungcheol asks when Mingyu tells him how he found out that he’s Wonwoo’s mysterious new boyfriend.

Mingyu shakes his head. “I didn’t think about him at all. I don’t know, Wonwoo hasn’t talked about him in months so I just thought that was over.”

“Yeah, Wonwoo avoided Vernon for a bit. But I helped them sort it out. “ Seungcheol gives him a proud smile. “That’s why I invited Wonwoo to the party. I have to say, I did a much better job at matchmaking than you did.”

“That’s not really an achievement, “ Mingyu admits. “I really suck at it.”

Seungcheol laughs. “Glad you’re finally aware of it. At least everyone’s happy now.” He cuddles up closer to Mingyu, burying his face in his shoulder. “Not that I can speak for everyone else, but I am happy.”

“I’m happy too, “ Mingyu whispers into Seungcheol’s hair.

They grow silent for a while and Mingyu starts rubbing circles on Seungcheol’s back and feels him growing more sleepy with every passing second. “You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“I came here straight from the airport. Could barely sleep on the plane because you were on my mind.” Seungcheol snuggles closer to Mingyu, humming contently when he finds a comfortable spot on Mingyu’s chest.

Mingyu softly ruffles through Seungcheol’s hair. “Don’t fall asleep here. Let’s get you to bed.”

Seungcheol doesn’t even protest, he just gets off the couch and quietly follows Mingyu to his bedroom. Mingyu pushes one of his shirts and sweats into his arms and ushers him into the bathroom. He waits till Seungcheol is done brushing his teeth and changing to go into the bathroom himself because brushing his teeth together with him feels too intimate, too domestic to do right now.

Once he gets back to his bedroom, Seungcheol’s already cuddled up in bed. For a moment, Mingyu insecurely hovers by the door but then he hears Seungcheol’s soft whine for him to come here so he turns off the lights and climbs into bed next to him.

Seungcheol puts an arm around him, pulling him close. “This is nice, “ he mumbles, voice groggy. “I like your bed. Smells like you.”

Mingyu smiles. His heart feels warm and fuzzy and the only thing he can do about the dancing feeling in his chest is pressing a kiss to Seungcheol’s forehead. “Now it’s gonna smell like you.”

“Sorry, “ Seungcheol replies, eyes fluttering close. “Do that again.”

Mingyu giggles, leaving another kiss on Seungcheol’s forehead. “Sleep.”

“Good night, Mingyu, “ Seungcheol mumbles.

“Good night.”

Mingyu wakes up to something – or rather, someone - repeatedly poking his cheek. He opens his eyes to be faced with a widely grinning Seungcheol lying next to him. “Good morning, “ Seungcheol says, voice deep and hoarse and fuck, is it doing things to Mingyu’s heart.

“Morning, “ Mingyu replies. Even though he doesn’t feel fully awake yet, he can’t help a big smile from spreading on his face.

“I like this, “ Seungcheol says, still stabbing his finger into Mingyu’s face.

“You could’ve thought of something nicer to wake me up.“ Mingyu moves his hand up to stop Seungcheol’s attack. He likes it too though, at least the waking up next to Seungcheol part. “Or just let me sleep in, I don’t have classes until noon today.”

“Good for you but I have to be at work in an hour and I’m hungry.” Seungcheol settles on poking Mingyu’s shoulder now that his face is guarded.

Mingyu just laughs, then he moves to get up. “Of course. Come on, let’s get breakfast.”

And so, a few minutes later, they’re back in the kitchen, Seungcheol sitting on the same spot on the counter as last night and just thinking about everything they said back then makes Mingyu’s heart beat faster again. So it’s really not his fault if they spend a good amount of time lazily making out in the same position as yesterday before he even gets started on fixing up some food.

They only break apart when they hear the sound of the apartment door being opened. After sharing a panicked look, Mingyu moves away quickly, leaning against the counter opposite of Seungcheol and trying hard to look casual. 

“Mingyu?” Seungkwan yells from the hallway, soon enough appearing in the doorway of the kitchen. When he sees Seungcheol comfortably sitting there, a wide smile spreads on his face and he runs over to hug him. “Oh my god, you’re back.”

Seungcheol laughs, sliding down from the counter to wrap Seungkwan in his arms. “I’m back.”

“I missed you so much, “ Seungkwan says. Once he lets go of Seungcheol, he looks between him and Mingyu. “So… you two made up, right? It’s all good again, we’re all friends?”

Friends. Mingyu quickly casts a glance to Seungcheol because they didn’t yet talk about what they were or what they were going to tell the others. But Seungcheol just slightly shrugs so Mingyu nods. “Yeah, we’re all friends.”

“Nice!” Seungkwan says. “I was afraid you two would fight again but I’m glad you made up. I stayed over at Jun’s just in case you needed some time for yourselves. But no more moping around! Finally.”

Seungcheol just looks at Mingyu with a smile. “No more moping around, I hope.”

Seungkwan happily starts chatting away, catching Seungcheol up on everything that happened to him in the past two weeks even though Mingyu’s pretty sure he’s also been keeping him up to date through texts. Seungcheol listens, commenting at just the right moments and laughing about Seungkwan’s dramatic storytelling. Mingyu just stands back and watches, feeling content just being here with the two most important people in his life.

Once Seungkwan leaves them alone again to go get ready for class, Seungcheol wraps an arm around Mingyu's waist and leans his head against his back while he prepares breakfast. “So… Seungkwan has absolutely no clue what’s going on.”

Mingyu lets out a sigh. “Can we… can we keep this, “ he makes a vague gesture with this hand, “a secret for a while? Not long, just give me some time to figure it out.”

“Okay, “ Seungcheol easily agrees. “That’s fine.”

“I’m sorry, “ Mingyu says.

“Don’t be, I understand.” Seungcheol moves his head against his back. “Just… where do we go from here?”

Mingyu puts down the spatula he was holding and turns around to face Seungcheol. “Want to go on a date with me?”

Seungcheol’s eyes widen a bit but a bright smile spreads over his features. “I’d love to.”

“Okay, nice. Then keep your next Saturday free.”

Being in love with Seungcheol is easy. Not much changes between them. Seungcheol comes around the apartment basically every day and they hang out with their other friends. There’s quick kisses in stolen moments and lingering touches in between, but not much else is different to how things were before. When they’re alone, there’s a lot more making out now, though, and Mingyu really cannot complain about that.

During their Friday dinner, the 13 of them celebrate Seungcheol’s return. No one seems to notice the shift in Mingyu and Seungcheol’s relationship. Except for Jun, apparently, because he leans over to Mingyu at the dinner table to whisper into his ear. “Congrats.” He gives him a smirk when he leans back and Mingyu can’t help but wonder how the fuck he figured it out that quickly.

On Saturday, Mingyu spends a bit too long on getting ready. Even though Seungcheol has already seen every version of him – from the sweaty and dishevelled post-workout Mingyu to carefully styled high society Mingyu – Mingyu wants to put an extra effort into his look today. After hours of browsing through his closet, he gets frustrated because Seungcheol already knows every single outfit he owns. He’s almost tempted to ask Minghao for fashion advice but he can’t, not without raising some questions on why he’s dressing up to go out with Seungcheol.

He’s just in the process of changing his shirt for the seventh time, when he hears the doorbell. So, he quickly throws on an oversized white dress shirt, the one with the soft and flowy fabric he loves so much and grabs his things, sprinting to the door.

Minghao beats him to it, already talking to Seungcheol when he gets there. “I forgot my key at home and I was too lazy to turn around, “ Seungcheol’s explaining right now.

“Don’t you have our key on the same key ring as your own?” Minghao asks, his tone sceptical.

Seungcheol obviously doesn’t know how to reply to that, so Mingyu sweeps in to save him. “I’m ready!” he announces, pushing Minghao out the way so he can properly see Seungcheol in front of the door.

He’s dressed in a grey and white plaid blazer with a white shirt underneath and looks absolutely soft and beautiful. “Hey, “ he greets a bit awkwardly, but a blinding smile appears on his lips when he takes in Mingyu’s appearance.

“So what are you two doing?” There’s a smirk on Minghao’s face as he looks between the two of them. “Why are you both dressed up like that when you usually just laze around on our couch in sweats?”

“Uh…” Mingyu looks at Seungcheol with wide eyes, hastily trying to come up with an excuse but his mind is empty.

Luckily, Seungcheol saves the situation. “We’re checking out this fancy new restaurant, so we’d be kind of underdressed in sweats.” He laughs but it comes off awkwardly.

Minghao’s eyebrows are still raised but he just shrugs at the explanation. “Have fun then. If it’s any good, tell me so I can take Seokmin.”

What Minghao doesn’t know is that Mingyu’s taking Seungcheol to a restaurant that Minghao himself recommended to him after Seokmin had taken him there for a date. He’d shown him the pics he’d taken of the food, the interior and, of course, Seokmin and Mingyu had decided that it looked like the perfect spot for a romantic first date. Plus, he really wants to try the food.

“Will do, “ he says, giving Minghao a smile. “Now, we should get going if we want to be on time for our reservation.”

They say their goodbyes to Minghao before making their way over to the elevator. Once they’re inside, Seungcheol grins at him. “We both suck at lying, don’t we?”

Mingyu laughs at that. “We really do.”

“Anyways, “ Seungcheol steps closer, leaning in to give Mingyu a soft kiss on the cheek. “Hi.”

“Hey, “ Mingyu says, smiling widely. “You look really good.”

Seungcheol’s eyes wander over Mingyu’s body one more time before he looks back at his face. “You too.”

It’s weird, how new yet familiar everything feels, how it’s exciting and comfortable at the same time. They talk about the usual things – Seungcheol’s job, Mingyu’s art, their shared friends – during the car ride, they listen to the usual music, enjoy the usual moments of silence. But when they reach a stop light, Seungcheol leans over for a kiss and Mingyu almost misses the green light. After that, he takes Seungcheol’s hand, only letting go when he has to shift gears.

Inside of the restaurant, Mingyu makes a big deal out of being a gentleman, holding the door open for Seungcheol, taking his jacket and pulling his chair back for him. Seungcheol glares at him for it, but he doesn’t say anything about it. Mingyu’s pretty sure he catches him smiling into his menu later.

“So, are you going to admit that I have a very good sense of romance?” Mingyu asks after they placed their order, looking around at the dimly lit restaurant that’s mainly populated by couples at this time.

Seungcheol scoffs. “You’re being very cliché right now. I’m not entirely sure that counts as being romantic.”

“I’ll be as cliché as I need to be till you admit that you were wrong about me.”

“I’d like to see that, “ Seungcheol says with a grin, but then he grows serious and grabs Mingyu’s hand over the table. “But really, this is very nice and all, just… you don’t have to try so hard, okay? We could stay in your apartment and order takeout and it’d probably be the best date of my life.”

“We do that often enough. I want this to be special, “ Mingyu argues, giving his hand a push. “I want you to know that you’re special to me.”

Seungcheol looks down to the table. “Thank you, “ he says quietly. “You’re special to me as well.”

“Good. I really hope you don’t go on romantic dinners with Jun or Wonwoo, “ he jokes.

Seungcheol laughs. “I would never.”

When they are back in the car after dinner, Mingyu doesn’t immediately head back home but drives them to a park in their neighbourhood, parking the car on the side of the road. “There’s one more thing I have planned.”

Seungcheol looks around. “Here? At the park?”

Mingyu nods, loosening his seatbelt and getting out of the car. Once Seungcheol’s out as well and he’s locked the car, he takes his hand and tugs him to the entrance of the park and towards the playground at the end of it.

“Oh, “ Seungcheol says when he notices what they’re heading towards.

“You said it sounded nice… so… “ Mingyu feels a bit embarrassed now that they are here. Maybe this was a bad idea. In the end, they are two adults, all dressed up to go out, and here he is, taking them to the playground.

But Seungcheol doesn’t leave him much time for doubt. “First at the swings wins!” he says, already sprinting towards them.

“That’s unfair!” Mingyu yells after him, but he’s laughing loudly as he tries to catch up.

Due to his unfair advantage, Seungcheol wins with ease, already sitting on a swing and grinning up at Mingyu when he arrives. “Loser, “ he says and starts swinging.

For a moment, Mingyu just watches as Seungcheol kicks his legs back and forth and swings higher and higher, a bright smile on his face. His excitement is so pure and adorable that Mingyu almost coos at it, but it’s also infectious. So he falls down on the swing next to Seungcheol and joins him.

Maybe it’s not the most conventionally romantic date activity but it’s fun. At first, they try to outswing each other, making competitions about who can reach the highest point and they both get ridiculously competitive about it. But then they grow tired of it and soon enough, they are just calmly swinging back and forth, their hands intertwined between them.

“You know, “ Seungcheol starts, smiling at the night sky above them. “I’ve been waiting for this for years.”

“Years?” Mingyu perks up. He’s figured that Seungcheol might have realized his feelings earlier than Mingyu but… years? That’s news to him.

“I realized after I graduated high school, “ Seungcheol explains.

That’s almost six years ago now, Mingyu realizes. “Why did you never say anything?”

Seungcheol shrugs. “I was scared. Even though there were moments I had hope that you felt the same way… I was never sure.”

“I think I did like you for a long time, “ Mingyu confesses. It’s only been a few weeks since he realized that he does, but the feeling’s been there for much longer and Mingyu can’t really pinpoint at which point things changed for him. “I just… It took me some time to realize that that’s what I’m feeling.”

“Well, even though your attempt to set me up with Wonwoo hurt a bit, but at least the jealousy made you realize, “ Seungcheol says with a grin.

Mingyu laughs, even though he doesn’t think it was only the jealousy that did the job. “Guess I really did need a push after all.”

“I’m just glad we’re here now, “ Seungcheol says. “Doesn’t matter how long it took you to get here, I would’ve waited forever as long as I had the slightest bit of hope that you might eventually like me back.”

“You know, for someone who claims not to be good with words you’re good at saying cheesy things.”

Seungcheol gives his hand a little push. “What can I say? It’s your influence.”

“I’m not cheesy, “ Mingyu protests with a pout.

“Sure you aren’t.” The grin on his face makes it obvious that Seungcheol is the opposite of convinced. “You’re just _romantic._ You’re Kim Mingyu, romance expert.”

“Just watch me, I’ll earn that title one day.”

Mingyu knows there’s still a lot he has to learn – about himself, about Seungcheol and about love. He’s far away from being an expert, far away from knowing how to handle this whole relationship thing. But he knows that he loves Seungcheol and he knows that he wants to make him happy, so he’s sure he can figure out the rest of it all in the future. And even if he gets things wrong once in a while, it’s not like Seungcheol will hold back on calling him out on it.

As long as he has Seungcheol by his side, he thinks, things will be alright.

Mingyu thinks they are doing quite a good job at hiding their relationship. It’s not that hard, considering they’ve always spent a lot of time together. It’s not suspicious when they cuddle up to each other during movie nights or disappear together for a while. At least, Mingyu thinks so, so they do that frequently.

That’s how he finds himself trapped in between Seungcheol’s arms in the kitchen one Friday night while their friends are screaming about a game in the living room. Making out in the kitchen has kind of turned into their thing now, mostly because it’s easy to come up with excuses to go to the kitchen but also because Mingyu feels stupidly attached to it after everything they went through in that room.

Mingyu’s entirely lost in kissing Seungcheol, not realizing they’re being watched until Seungcheol suddenly brings some distance between them and looks at the door with a rather embarrassed expression. Much to Mingyu’s horror, he is faced with a mischievously grinning Jeonghan when he turns around.

“Sorry for interrupting, “ Jeonghan says, even though he’s very clearly not. And instead of quickly doing whatever he came here to do and leaving them alone again, he closes the door behind himself.

“You didn’t interrupt anything, “ Mingyu quickly lets out, desperately trying to come up with an explanation but his brain is empty. There’s no saving them from this situation, so he just stands there with his mouth wide open and stares at Jeonghan.

Jeonghan just laughs. “It’s okay, I already know you two have a … thing.”

Mingyu looks to Seungcheol with an accusing glare but he raises his hands. “I didn’t tell him anything! Not willingly, at least.”

Jeonghan steps closer to them. “It’s not hard to see what’s happening. You really aren’t being as subtle as you think you are. Honestly, at this point, I’m pretty sure everyone knows.”

“Even Seungkwan?” Mingyu asks, whipping his head up.

“Maybe not everyone, “ Jeonghan hurries to correct himself. “But a lot of them know… I told Soonyoung and Joshua… Seokmin and Minghao definitely know… Jun as well… “

Mingyu buries his face in his hands and lets out a deep sigh. “Oh shit.”

“So… no pressure but when are you making it official?” Jeonghan asks, raising an eyebrow at them. “You can’t keep this up forever.”

“Soon, “ Seungcheol says.

“When we have to, “ Mingyu replies at the same time.

Jeonghan laughs at their answers. “What’s the big deal? We all know you’re in love, just get it over with. The longer you wait, the more uncomfortable it becomes.”

That, Mingyu is painfully aware of. “Just… you know how Seungkwan reacted to you dating Soonyoung. And that was just you! Now imagine what’s going to be like for me.”

“Are you saying Seungkwan loves you more than me?” Jeonghan challenges, mock offense on his face.

“I’m his best friend! I promised to stay with him forever. I don’t want to betray him.”

“You’re not leaving him. The only thing you’re doing is dating Seungcheol and no offense, but that doesn’t really change much compared to how things were before. Don’t you think it’s a way bigger betrayal to not tell him that two of his best friends are now fucking two rooms down from him?”

“We are not fucking two rooms down from Seungkwan, “ Seungcheol protests.

Jeonghan doesn’t look very convinced by that. “Think about it. Do you want Seungkwan to accidentally walk in on you as well or do you want to tell him face to face?”

That’s a good point. Now that Jeonghan has walked in on them kissing, Mingyu does feel more paranoid about the same thing happening with Seungkwan. “You’re right.”

“I always am.” Jeonghan smiles brightly at him. “Get your shit together and just tell him. He won’t kill you.” He gives them both a pat on the shoulder before he disappears again.

Seungcheol looks at Mingyu. “He’s right. He won’t kill us.”

Mingyu sinks against Seungcheol’s shoulder. “I hope so.”

Seungkwan, indeed, does not kill them. 

They sit him down two days later, Seungcheol next to him on the couch, Mingyu nervously pacing around the room until Seungkwan forces him to sit down as well. “Just spit it out, “ he says, looking between Seungcheol and Mingyu. “What’s going on and why are you two being so dramatic?”

Mingyu takes a deep breath. “So… I know this might be a bit of a shock… and I want you to know that what I’m about to say doesn’t change anything. We’re still your two best friends and love you very much and we’ll still all hang out together and nothing has to change…”

“Right! It’s going to be just like always, “ Seungcheol helpfully adds. “You’re still my best friend, you’re still Mingyu’s best friend and this won’t affect how our friendship is in any way.”

Seungkwan just stares at them with big eyes. “Go on, “ he says carefully.

“It’s really not a big deal and it doesn’t matter much. It’s just…” Mingyu looks to Seungcheol, trying to find the right words.

“Mingyu and I…” Seungcheol starts. “We…”

Before he can say anything, Seungkwan interrupts him “Just say it. I think I already know where this is going.” He looks defeated, sad and it pains Mingyu to know that he’s the cause of that expression on his face.

“We’re dating, “ he blurts out quickly to get it over with.

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Seungkwan’s face completely lights up and he starts laughing loudly. “Fuck, you scared me! I thought you were going to tell me that you broke up… felt like my parents telling me about their divorce all over again…”

“Breaking up?” Mingyu looks at Seungcheol who now also has an amused smile on his face. “You… you knew we were dating?”

Seungkwan gives him a disbelieving look. “Was I … supposed to not know? Is that why you two were sneaking around all the time?”

“Uh… yeah.” Mingyu’s having a hard time processing that all along, Seungkwan knew what was going on. “We were kind of keeping it a secret?”

“I noticed that you two were in love with each other months ago…. and then the fight and Mingyu being heartbroken… and then you two make up and go on dates and are constantly all over each other… “ Seungkwan shakes his head. “You two are very bad at keeping secrets.”

Seungcheol seems to think that this is all very funny judging by how he can’t stop laughing. “God, can’t believe we went through all this trouble when you knew all along.”

“I really am not sure if you two thought I was completely blind and stupid or if you just severely overestimated your secrecy skills.” Seungkwan shakes his head at them.

“A bit of both, probably, “ Seungcheol admits.

“Well, do we have your approval?” Mingyu asks, studying Seungkwan’s expression carefully.

Seungkwan rolls his eyes. “Do you really need that? This isn’t the 19th century and I’m not your overly concerned father who has to approve of your choice of husband.”

“I just want to know if you’re okay with this.” Mingyu puts a hand on Seungkwan’s shoulder. “Are you?”

A smile spreads on Seungkwan’s lips and he ruffles Mingyu’s hair softly. “Of course. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

Mingyu wraps his arms around him and Seungcheol does the same from the other side, both smothering Seungkwan between them. He doesn’t complain, just holds them tightly and laughs.

After that conversation, Mingyu feels completely carefree. They tell the rest of the group by kissing in front of them all during the next Friday dinner. No one says anything about it or looks the least bit surprised and it takes an entire five minutes until Jeonghan turns to them with big eyes and exclaims “Congratulations!”. The softness lasts only for a good minute where everyone tells them how happy they are for them until it turns into relentless teasing for their lack of subtlety and all the dumbassery they went through in the past few months.

Mingyu doesn’t mind. Not only because he’s used to all the teasing but also because he’s holding his boyfriend’s hand under the table and that makes the shit he’s getting from his friends entirely worth it. He’s never felt more happy than right now, with his boyfriend right here with him and their 11 best friends crowded around the table. Being made fun of for being an oblivious idiot is a small price to pay for that.

Here, in the chatter and laughter of his friends, the warmth of Seungcheol’s hand in his and Seungkwan’s smile from across the table, Mingyu is home.

“This sucks, “ Seungkwan says, looking around at the unopened moving boxes in the empty room. He’s sitting on the floor between them, head resting against a stack of boxes.

“We’re almost done, “ Mingyu tries to cheer him up, lying flat on the ground taking up pretty much almost all of the left space on the floor. “Only a few more.”

“I’ve been carrying boxes all day, I don’t want to see any more of them, “ Seungkwan whines.

“It wasn’t that bad, “ Mingyu says because really, it wasn’t. Minghao doesn’t own that much stuff, he’d only needed a suitcase and one box for all of his belongings. He’s now entirely moved to Seoul, gotten a place at HUA and taken up a part-time job to be able to afford rent. It makes him pretty busy and now that he’s moving out, Mingyu’s a bit afraid he won’t see much of him anymore, but they’ve only grown closer over the last few months so he’s sure they won’t drift apart too much.

So really, Minghao moving out wasn’t a problem. Seungcheol moving in, on the other hand, was a much bigger deal.

First, they had a big fight over the couch because Seungcheol insisted on bringing his couch with him when Mingyu already owns a perfectly fine one. Mingyu won that one, but he lost the TV discussion. Not that he minded much, Seungcheol’s TV is bigger than theirs anyways, it’s more of a matter of pride.

Then there was the bedroom problem. Seungkwan didn’t really understand why Seungcheol would need to take up a whole room when he was going to sleep in Mingyu’s every night anyways (which he’s basically already been doing for months). He proposed that they could look for a new roommate who would actually use the room but Seungcheol wants a space of his own, which Mingyu can very much understand. So he fought for it and won, much to Seungkwan’s displeasure.

And also, Seungcheol just has a shit ton of stuff. They spent the entire afternoon carrying over boxes from his building to theirs and still aren’t finished. Mingyu’s arms feel like falling off and apparently, so do Seungkwan’s, so they decided to take a break for a bit.

“Anyways, I didn’t mean the carrying, “ Seungkwan says. “I mean… this whole situation. It sucks.”

Mingyu lets out a sigh because they’ve been over that already. “Nothing’s going to change. It’s just us three, as always, but now all living under the same roof.”

“I know that nothing’s going to change…” Seungkwan looks down at his hands, voice quiet. “I’m worried I’m getting in your way. I just… I don’t want you to feel like you have to live with me. Sure, if you two moved in together somewhere else I would be dramatic about it for a bit. But I love you and I want you to be happy and I don’t want to keep you here against your will.”

Mingyu moves closer and puts his head on Seungkwan’s shoulder. “You sound like you’re holding me hostage but… this is not against my will at all and we aren’t doing this for you. I’m doing this for myself because I love living with you. You’re my best friend, my family and part of my home. I want to live with you until we turn into grumpy old men. I mean, if you find someone and have a family and want to move out, I’ll accept that as long as it’s within five minutes walking distance to where I live. I just want you as close to me as possible at all times, Kwannie.”

Seungkwan sniffles a little, looking like he’s about to cry. “Fuck, I love you. So much.”

“I love you too.” Mingyu cuddles up closer to Seungkwan, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

“But do you think Seungcheol minds? Maybe he doesn’t wanna live with me, “ Seungkwan asks.

He makes a disagreeing hum. “He does because he loves you too.”

They hear the sound of the front door opening and of course, it’s Seungcheol carrying in another box. “What’s going on here?” he asks when he sets the box on top of another and looks from a teary-eyed Seungkwan to Mingyu hugging him.

“Do you really want to move in with me? Don’t you two want to have an apartment of your own, like Jeonghan and Soonyoung?”

Seungcheol sits down on Seungkwan’s other side and puts an arm around his shoulder. “If I didn’t want to live with you, I wouldn’t move in here. I could just stay in my own apartment, you know.”

Seungkwan considers that for a moment. “You have a point there.” Then he seems to remember something and perks up. “Will you get midnight snacks with me?”

Seungcheol and Mingyu both start laughing. “It’s been over a year, you have to let go of that, “ Mingyu says.

Seungcheol seems to grow nostalgic at the mention. “A lot has changed since then, hasn’t it?”

Mingyu smiles and nods. “A lot has changed.”

Seungkwan grimaces a bit. “Yeah, it has. Back then, we had one couple in our friend circle, now we five. Five! That’s just ridiculous. You know what, I blame it all on you, Kim Mingyu. You were the one who did all the matchmaking and meddling…”

“Please, my matchmaking didn’t lead to anything, “ Mingyu argues. “The only couple I’m responsible for is Jeonghan and Soonyoung.”

“Please, that was just a lucky guess!” Seungcheol reminds him.

Mingyu just ignores him. “I can now admit that I am not good at matchmaking and didn’t help any of our friends, I just made things worse for them.”

“That’s not true, though, “ Seungkwan says. “You encouraged Jihoon to sort things out with Chan.”

Seungcheol considers that for a bit. “He has a point there. You were the one who hyped Jihoon up to just be honest with Chan, so you did help them a bit.”

“Seokmin and Minghao, too. Maybe you wanted Minghao to get together with Joshua, but you brought him closer to Seokmin on accident and you were the one who told him to just ask him out, “ Seungkwan adds.

Now that Mingyu thinks about it, he did have a big influence on that one being successful. It wasn’t his intention, sure, but it was the result of his actions. “Still, I was a complete failure when it came to Wonwoo.”

“Can’t deny that, “ Seungcheol says.

Seungkwan shakes his head. “You also helped him. You gave him the amusement park tickets and he confessed because of you. And not going to lie, but would the two of you have your shit together right now if it wasn’t for Mingyu’s matchmaking? I highly doubt that. So, in conclusion, every single couple in our friend group is on you and I hate you for it.”

Mingyu has to admit, Seungkwan is making a very good case right now and it’s giving him some thoughts. “Hmm… maybe I did help our friends…”

“Oh no.” Seungcheol looks at him with wide eyes. “Please no.”

“Maybe I’m not the best at picking out matches but I am pretty good at giving people just the right push.” The wheels are moving fast in Mingyu’s head as an idea forms. “But you know who’s good at figuring out who’s going to get together?”

Seungkwan and Mingyu immediately whip their heads around to Seungcheol. He frantically shakes his head, making an X with his arms. “No, no, no.”

“Come on, babe. You helped Wonwoo and Vernon out! Why not make some other people very happy?” Mingyu pouts at him, doing his best to look at him with pleading eyes. “Let’s be a duo of matchmakers. With your skill of finding people’s chemistry and my amazing love advice, nothing can go wrong.”

“I refuse to get involved in your bullshit, “ Seungcheol says firmly. “Just… let the matchmaking die, Mingyu.”

Mingyu doesn’t listen to him, already planning in his head. “What about Joshua? I saw that he downloaded tinder recently, so he definitely wants a relationship. Or just quick hook-ups, can’t be sure.”

“Not Joshua, “ Seungkwan immediately says. “He’s always so sappy and romantic in relationships, it’s disgusting.”

“Oh, what about Jun? It’s been a while since he’s dated.”

“Not Jun.” Seungkwan shakes his head. “I need him to make fun of you all with me.”

“Then…” Mingyu tilts his head, a smirk forming on his lips. “What about you?”

Anger immediately flashes over Seungkwan’s face and he pushes Mingyu away. “Don’t even think about it.”

Mingyu laughs. “I’m just joking.” He cuddles back up to Seungkwan, trying to appease him. “I won’t do any more matchmaking for now. I’m happy with how things are.”

And he really is. After all, he’s living together with his two favourite people, his best friend and boyfriend. Every Friday, everyone comes to their apartment and they all hang out together. He’s following his dreams and studying art at a prestigious university alongside almost all of his friends. Sure, sometimes things don’t go according to plan, sometimes he fucks up and hurts people but he learns.

All in all, there’s not much to complain about in his life. Maybe he doesn’t always hit the jackpot at the lottery of life, maybe he’s not the universe’s favourite but he’s Kim Mingyu and that’s enough.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! <3 come find me on [ twt ](https://twitter.com/ahlovesc) / [ cc ](https://curiouscat.qa/ahlovesc)


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